Qualche cosa per voi
by Vincentre
Summary: ToA&ToS Even though the world was changed, and a new path was opened, did he really stray too far? In desperation, he begins this journey, hoping to find the jewel that he lost. UPDATED FINALLY!
1. Farewell

_**Ranting Author of doom:** _First things first, I don't own Tales of the Abyss. Just so you know that. I don't want any lawsuits against me for not stating that. Second, I don't want any complaints on the cheesiness. It's sweet, in a sense. Be sure to leave a review of whether or not I should continue. Thanks. Even if you don't leave a review, it's okay. Just be sure that you don't fall asleep.

The police will never find your body.

Just kidding, partially.

* * *

"_Attraverso il portello, ha passato."_

_Chapter I_

_ What was that? It didn't even seem like a monster. Was it a monster? Maybe it wasn't,_ Luke concluded, thinking to himself. They had encountered a strange creature at the doorway into this abandoned facility, and now, there seemed to be more of them, but not where they were. Nothing appeared in this area, it seemed. Tear had told him that they were just experiments that had gotten loose, and that it was nothing to worry about. In his mind, he had pushed the thoughts aside and had kept going, but now, they seemed more and more…human, as time went on. The only thing that kept him from claiming that the creatures were human, was the fact that they all had wings, for some reason. Like angels. The others did not seem fazed by this.

Guy sighed, feeling anxious, and glanced back at the other people in whom he called his allies. They never really understood his love for Fonic Technology. His face twisted to show an amazed expression at the contraptions in the area as he slowly turned to face the others with an eager grin.Natalia caught on quickly to his sudden mood change and shook her head while the others chattered to themselves about trivial things, at least in his opinion. She smiled at him and laughed quietly. "I don't know why you're still here," she began in a gentle voice, "You're always the first to run off."

Guy chuckled an waved his hand, gesturing towards the aisle that led to huge machinery, "Well, I thought I'd stick around and make sure you guys didn't need me to help out with anything before I browsed through the area." He flashed a brilliant smile at the other. "The least I can do is lend a helping hand. Besides, I don't want to see is one of you beautiful young ladies getting hurt in some way from my carelessness. "

Of course, Guy's comment brought up a slight flush in the young princess, but other than that, it was hard to tell that the comment affected her in any way. "Well...Just go on, Guy." She turned away quickly and began strolling back towards the others, leaving Guy to stand there looking dumbfound.

"Did I say that wrong?" He wondered after observing her mood change. "Well…Alright then." The young noblemen spun on his heels and raced towards a nearby machine with symbols of their language written on it. Then scanned up and down the aisles, looking for anything that stood out, until his eyes fell upon a strange door at the end of the pathway furthest from the entrance, blocked by beams of metal and wires that had previously fallen from things higher up. Guy approached it, squinting to read the writing through the bars of metal. "Huh? Hey guys, come here." With curiosity in his eyes, he began to toss aside the stray parts, clearing out a way to the blocked door.

Jade's grin widened as he chuckled heartily behind the blond swordsman as the others neared. "Oh. It seems as though you've found something. Luke. If you would…" The colonel glanced at the redhead, and gestured toward Guy; practically saying 'you get to work too'.

"Why don't you help out too?" Luke growled, shooting a glance at the older man.

Jade shook his head and shrugged as he made his sarcastic comment, "Would you really make _me_ work? You see…these days, my _back_ problems have been—"

"Don't worry about it Luke. I'll do it," Guy answered, interrupting them as he continued to work, his eagerness giving him a load of energy.

Natalia glared at her aggravating cousin, as did Tear and Anise. The princess then neared the concealed door herself and pushed debris away, tossing the smaller pieces aside. Tear followed her into assisting Guy.

The working young man glanced at the two young ladies helping him, and stopped what he was doing. "W-Wait. You don't have to help me. This isn't much to clear." He sighed. "You might get hurt."

The blond young woman looked at him, smirking and shaking her head, then began working once more. "Oh, don't think that just because I'm a girl that I can't do manual labor. We're just as good as Luke."

"Maybe better," added Anise, a mischievous grin on her face.

Luke sighed and rolled his eyes. "Right. I get the picture," he responded with annoyance in his tone as he began helping with the chore. Truthfully, he just wanted to leave. He did not know why, but there was something wrong with that place.

Guy glanced at Natalia as she began trying to lift something much too heavy for her. Her knees buckled under the weight after every step of trying to move it away. "Now, now, Natalia," Jade began teasing from a distance, "You should get Guy or Luke to do the serious handling."

Tear stared angrily at her grinning companion. "Colonel, if you're only going to tease us on this…"

"Oh, not at all, Tear. I was only acting on Natalia's best interest. After all, I don't want her to end up with _severe_ back problems like myself. She's much too young for that." Jade smiled innocently.

_Uh-huh…_, Anise thought, staring uninterestedly at her superior officer from where she sat. Helping with the moving would just be too hard on her, or at least, that was the excuse she would give if anyone had asked. But no one had, and so she was grateful. She then glanced over at the sleeping creature dubbed _Mieu_. Had it really fallen asleep? Under all this noise, he could sleep? She took the time to gently place him into the item bag to keep him warm.

* * *

After minutes of work, they all finished with clearing the trash from the door. From where Guy had seen it last, it appeared that the door had been made of wood, but on closer look, it was completely metal. No doorknob or any way to open it was present, but that was the least of his problems, at the moment. There were plenty of ways to open it. 

Guy sighed in relief as his grinning expression returned. He strolled casually towards the now clear entrance and put a hand on it before turning back to his friends. "Thanks for the help. Now. How do we get inside?"

"Huh? You mean you don't know how to open it? Isn't there some sort of directions somewhere?" Anise asked in an irritated voice, putting her small hands on her hips then turned her attention to Jade.

"I don't know either," he answered, wandering over to Guy to observe the area. "Well. There's something written here, but I can't read it." He pointed towards the bottom of the door.

Natalia tilted her head in question and headed towards them both. Guy leapt out of the way wildly, while Jade simply sidestepped to let her pass. She kneeled by the written and squinting until it became somewhat clear. "Sylvarant."

"Sylvarant?" Tear echoed. "I'm not familiar with that word."

"Neither am I," stated the colonel, as he passed by Anise and the others to reach the end of the aisle. He stopped, eyes scanning the area for something, but then he turned back to them. "Perhaps we should look for other doors and whatnot."

"Booo." Anise frowned. "Can we go now? It's starting to get a bit cold here. We _are_ near Mt. Roneal, after all. Let's just call it a day and come back tomorrow before we all freeze to death."

"Yeah," agreed Luke. "We've been here long enough."

"Oh? Are you _frightened_ of something? Was it that monster we encountered upon entering this facility?"

"I-I'm not scared. I was just ready to go."

"If you're not up for it, then say so Luke. We can head back anytime," Guy declared, smiling warmly at his friend.

"All right, all right. Let's go find the stuff then." The redheaded heir hiked over to the older man, and turned a corner, heading back in the direction they came. Tear sighed and hurried after him while grabbing the item bag with Mieu inside.

Anise giggled and skipped over to Jade while Guy approached them, as well. "Well, I guess I could help too. There might be some pretty valuable things down here. Let's go, Colonel."

"Still trying to get rich…" Guy chuckled.

"Of course!"

Jade nodded, and smiled. "Oh, yes, Natalia. If you would, please come sooner or later. We'd _hate_ to leave you behind."

"I'll be right behind you," she replied, glancing over her shoulder as she stood and brushed off her clothing.

"Hurry up. It's dangerous around," Guy added.

The three began walking towards the entrance, but Natalia stared at the word for a while longer. _Hmm…I wonder why I've never heard of this place. Surely father can tell me_, she decided.

"Natalia!" Someone called, snapping her from her trance and glancing around, "Let's go!" It sounded to be Luke.

"C-Coming!" She stumbled and began sprinting towards the end of the passageway. Something, a light perhaps, flashed behind her and she turned her attention back towards the door. It was now open for some reason. All that could be seen of the other side was darkness. Nothing looked to be there. "What was that? Huh? It's open?" Natalia felt herself nearing the door once more until she stood in front of the open passage, staring into the infinite space.

"_Natalia_!" Luke called once more, with the addition of Anise's voice.

"Give me a moment!" she responded, never taking her eyes from the space.

Luke sighed from where he was with the others. Guy leaned against a wall with his eyes closed an arms crossed. Jade smiled, just like always, just seeming like he was being patient, and amused, as he watched Tear stare into the item bag blushing at the sleeping Mieu. Anise grinned at Tear, but was obviously slightly annoyed at the fact that she was waiting and not already gone.

Natalia reached out into the darkness, looking to touch something, but could not see anything to grasp at. She felt a presence behind her and gasped, turning to face the person. It was only Luke, standing a few feet from her. He did not seem to notice the door was open.

"Hey. Let's go already."

"Very well, Luke. If you insist." She crossed her arms.

He raised an eyebrow and turned, walking away. Another set of footsteps rounded the corner to reveal the faithful servant, Guy. "Well, it's about time—hey, the doors open…"

"Huh? Really?" Luke glanced back behind Natalia, an uninterested look on his face. "Well isn't that interesting." The non-existent excitement just leaked through his sarcastic tone. He turned back around, continuing to walk. She followed.

Gailardia simply smiled. "Well, I guess we can check it out tomorrow then, since someone is anxious to leave." He shot a wicked grin at his friend and Luke frowned in response. "Say Natalia, how'd you get it—" Guy's eyes widened in horror, and Luke stared at him in confusion, not knowing why his buddy had that expression on his face. Then, he heard a bloodcurdling scream come from behind him, sounding like the princess he knew so well. Luke whipped around to see his beloved female friend disappearing into the shadows beyond and the door beginning to close quickly.

On an impulse, Luke charged towards the exit with Guy behind him.

"We're not gonna make it," Guy yelled.

"We'll make it!" Luke retorted.

Guy passed the other in running, hoping that his current speed was enough to make it. As he dashed towards his quickly closing destination, he heard her call out different names. Luke. Jade. Anise. Tear. Him. Asch. Her father. Most likely everyone on her mind at this horrible moment. Her voice was disappearing, like it was getting further away.

He reached out to grab anything and took one final leap, trying to grasped anything—something that belonged to her, so that he could bring her back from there whatever was dragging her in.

"_Natalia_!"

* * *

He didn't make it. 

The door closed. Natalia on the other side, her loved ones on the other.

Guy shut his eyes tight and banged on the door, calling out to her, but no answer came from the other side. He looked frantically over to his companions that just arrived.

Anise stared wide-eyed at him, tears welling up in her eyes.

Tear looked away, seemingly deep in thought, but with a sympathetic expression.

Jade was already with them, standing next to an upset Luke, but kept his sight on the one closest to the door. His face was riddled with distress.

"Where is Natalia?" Tear's scanned the upset youth with her tranquil blue eyes, then to the other.

Without saying anything, they both looked towards the closed entrance.

A set of footsteps could be heard coming their way. Immediately, Jade materialized his spear and Tear readied her daggers, prepared to strike at whatever came into view. Guy turned back to the door and rests his forehead against it, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. _Natalia_, he opened his eyes and gripped his sword's hilt in his right hand, _I'm sorry. _He turned, drawing out the Jewel of Gardios with determination in his eyes. Whatever was there, he would defeated—kill if need be, and then find some way to get Natalia out of her prison.

"It comes." Anise reacted to Jade's voice, transforming Tokunaga into its bigger form and mounting it while Luke drew out the Key of Lorelei.

The figure came into view, revealing itself. Luke's eyes widened at seeing his original and they reflected nothing but pain and agony. He had come. However, Asch was too late.

The young noble slowed to a halt as he reached them, panting somewhat, but then took a deep breath. He scanned the area, as if searching for something.

"Where is she, Replica?" Asch asked, his angered gaze falling upon Luke.

Luke did not answer. He looked away, not understanding anything currently. How had Asch known? And so soon, at that. "Where is Natalia?!" He turned his attention to Jade. "Where is she!?"

"If you insist on asking, she's right over there," Jade answered, gesturing towards the doorway. His calm façade could lead anyone to believe that he was not fazed by the moment. "Just through that door."

In seconds, Asch was at the doorway, feeling around slowly for any signs of buttons or anything to let him though. Luke made his way over to where Tear was and out of the blue, she had hugged him, trying to calm him down. He stayed in that embrace with her for quite the while, but then let go when he heard Anise sniffle.

After a few minutes of searching, the God-General became frustrated and glared over at Jade. "Just how do I get inside?"

"We don't know."

"What do you mean you _don't know_?"

"Natalia was the one who opened it," Guy finally spoke up from where he was, leaning against the wall. In an instant, Asch had grabbed the dejected Guy by the collar and pushed him harder against the wall.

"She had to have gotten in somehow. Weren't you with her? Wasn't _anyone_ with her?"

"Asch!" Tear called, taking a step towards him. "Blaming Guy will get us nowhere. We need to think on as to how to open that door." They stayed like that for a moment, stuck in a stalemate, until finally Asch released the other and returned his concentration to the door.

"I'm going." The God-General drew out his sword, gripping it in both his shaky hands. "I'm breaking this door down, and I'm going to find Natalia."

"Is that right?" Jade raised an eyebrow, "I wouldn't advise that."

* * *

"Arrivederci il mio amore più caro." To be continued…

* * *

**Ranting Author moment revised:** It seems as though this came out longer than I expected. Perhaps I should have cut it in half. 

Well, no sense in dwelling on that. I've already begun the second chapter, but I don't exactly know when I'll post it. Just like my Bleach fan fiction, I've got most of it done, but…I just never get around to uploading it.

Now, onto the story details. This is more or less a [Natalia x ????? Fan fiction. I haven't decided on whether to make it Guy or Asch. I'm leaning more towards Guy, just because it's a rarity.

As for this whole thing about the second chapter, I made it into a crossover with Tales of Symphonia and I wanted to know, should I continue? I personally liked how it came out, even if it is a bit cheesy. Aw, well. I guess I'll finish it someday and post it.

-Vincentre


	2. Unfamiliar

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Tales of the Abyss.

**Authors Rant**: Now that the disclaiming part is over, I would like to bring something to your attention about this story.

It is long.

It is fickle, in a sense.

It is NataliaxWHOMEVER FITS THE STORYLINE and right now…that's going to be—(See rest at the bottom.)

* * *

**Chapter II**  
_Unfamiliar_

"_I'm going." The God-General drew out his sword, gripping it in both his hands. "I'm breaking this door down, and I'm going to find Natalia."_

"_Oh?" Jade raised an eyebrow, "I wouldn't advise that."_

Asch stared at Jade in disbelief. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Exactly as I said," answered the red-eyed man. "We tried to break down a door in this place, not too long ago, by using a fonic arte on it. It was exactly like this one. And do you know what happened when I used my strongest arte on it? Nothing. Not a dent. We are just as worried for Natalia as you are, but common sense should tell you that there is perhaps an alternate entrance.."

"That's bullshit! It might not be the same for this one." Asch gripped his sword and swung wildly, clashing with the metal door and staggering back from the force. It had deflected his attack and thrown _him_ back. Just as Jade had said, not even a scratch. He tried again, and again, swinging with much force, hoping that the next swing would be more effective than the last.

He tried for what seemed like hours, but to no avail. The young noble hung his head low, his voice quiet and full of despair. "So… what am I supposed to do then?"

"_We_ find another way."

"I want to know what happened. Tell me. How did she end up in there?" Asch asked as he sheathed his sword, concentrating hard on the situation.

"Well…" Luke began, "I didn't see exactly wh—"

"We're out of time. We have to leave now." Tear stated anxiously, looking off into the distance. Enemies had entered the area.

"Tear's right. We have to go now." Jade repeated, grabbing the item bag with Mieu inside and sprinting off towards the entrance with Tear and Anise behind him.

Luke glanced at Guy as he passed, following the others. "Luke. Let's go."

"R…Right." He answered, glancing at Asch. "Aren't you coming?"

His original did not bother facing his replica. He remained facing the door. "Go on, you dreck. I'm staying. If there is another way, I'm going to find it."

"But it's dangerous here."

"I don't care. Now go." He growled, "I'm cleaning up after you."

"But—"

"Go!"

"Luke, come on." Guy called once more, dragging off his friend by the arm.

Asch sighed and shook his head, speaking to himself in a dejected tone, "I can't believe this… Weren't we supposed to change our country? You'd better not be dead." Finally giving in, Asch turned and sped off after them, knowing that he would gain nothing from actually staying behind. He cursed everything.

* * *

Natalia could feel herself being carried, something splashing up onto her with every clumsy feeling step. Thin yet muscular arms held her. 

"Is she breathing?!" Called a male's voice fearfully, as she felt herself being set down roughly on a hard surface. He did not sound too old. Probably around 16 or so, at least she assumed so. Why was he yelling?

"No. There's too much water," responded a second voice that sounded alarmed, this time it was female, obviously an older woman. Perhaps his mother.

Natalia's senses began returning and she could fainting feel water brushing up against her. She could also tell she was lying on something gritty, like sand. A beach? Lake? Something. _Why am I wet? Where am I_, she asked herself mentally, _I'm dead, aren't I?_

Natalia could vaguely feel something pressed against her chest—an ear. "She has a steady heart rhythm, but it's weak," stated that same female voice. The ear was removed and replaced by a large set of hands, a man's hands, as he began push down on her upper body hard. Once, twice, three times, four times, then finally, through an involuntary action, her body just began coughing up water violently and she turned to her side against her will and continued expelling the water. A gentle hand began patting her on the back until she ceased her aggressive movements.

"She okay? Nice goin' Regal. You saved a life today." Stated another male's voice, sounding a bit sarcastic as he broke the silence. "Now if only you weren't so impassive, you'd fit the hero part."

"Stop playing around, Zelos. We've got to get to an Inn," Answered another females voice, sounding annoyed.

"Hey. She's really kinda cute. I wonder how old she is…" The same cocky male voice again.

"You pervert. Could you save that until she's at least conscious?" The female voice answered.

"Aw. There's nothing wrong with me saying that, Sheena. Besides, there are plenty of places to stay in this area. Follow me." Multiple sets of footsteps were heard getting further away, like she was being left behind.

Natalia strained to take a deep breath, shuddering at the same time and wanted to badly to open her eyes, but did not have the energy to. It was so hard to breathe. She could feel someone force her into a sitting position and slide their arms under her, lifting the young princess off the ground. It was not the same person as before—the one who carried her from the water. She could tell. This person felt bigger—different.

He began walking, taking long, graceful strides, following the others that traveled ahead of him. She struggled, and with much effort, Natalia finally was able to open her eyes and gaze at the one who carried her so tenderly.

From first glance, she could already tell that he had fiery red hair. _Asch_, she thought, as her blurry vision cleared, and deep brown eyes accompanied the figure once she could see clearly again. _No... It's not. _Natalia drew in a deep breath, trying to reflect on what happened, but only bits and pieces graced her empty memory. Her wondering gaze must have finally alerted the young man, for he glanced down at her for a brief moment as they went along, then back down the road. She opened her mouth to say something to him, ask him anything, but no words came. She tried again, and still nothing. It was then, that she blacked out.

* * *

_"C'mon," stated a familiar sounding voice of a man, as Natalia and he trudged through the wooded area. She could feel herself constantly tripping over roots and whatnot, but the one who strolled beside her would not let her fall. He kept a strong grip on her upper arm so if she did, he could at least catch her in some way. "We don't have much time until nightfall."_

"_I know…I'm sorry to slow you down so much. It's alright if you want to go ahead of me."_

"_Now you're just being stupid. I didn't say anything about that." He did not even bother looking back at her as he led her through the woods, still holding her arm. "Besides, I didn't just go through all that trouble to leave you behind."_

"_I know," she answered quietly, smiling uncontrollably. "I know."_

"_What? Is that all you can say now? 'I know'. Yeah. I figured that much," he growled._

"_Thank you—for coming to get me."_

_There was silence as they continued to march, only the sound of their footsteps. He stared straight ahead, Natalia turned her gaze to him. His face remained expressionless, and he loosened his grip on her arm, lowering it to his side as he slowed to a halt, stopping her as well. "It's nothing. They were just a few pickpockets. Weak."_

"_Still…" she reached for his hand, and took it into both of hers, holding it tightly. "Thank you for coming to rescue me, Asch." She smiled brightly at him, and he could not help but smirk at her._

"_Even the dreck could have saved you. Don't make such a big deal out of it because it was me."_

* * *

_How long has it been since any of us last saw Natalia? Man…here I thought we would have found her elsewhere in the facility after going in there so many times, but nothing. No matter how many times we tried to break down that damn door, it didn't even budge. How could I have just let that happen? I knew I should have stayed. Why didn't I? Why did I leave?_

"Guy…?" Came a small voice from the doorway to his room. They had rented a room at an inn in Keterburg, for the sake of getting at least an ounce of sleep. Ironically enough though, no one had actually gone to sleep yet, at least, that was what Guy had assumed as he looked towards the doorway to see the face of a troubled girl.

"Yeah, Anise?" He answered gloomily, smiling weakly while propping himself up on his elbows and looking at her from his bed, "Nightmares again?"

"Is it alright if…I sleep in the extra bed," she asked, pointing towards the other bed a few feet from his and avoided the question about nightmares. "I would be sleeping with Tear, but Luke took my bed and the colonel left to go somewhere—but now the Colonel hasn't come back, so I would be alone in his room, but I didn't want to wait for him to come back so…" The sound of Anise's voice alone was enough to tell that she had been crying lately, and because of that, he could not turn her away, even though _he_ felt like being alone. Firstly, Anise never cried, so that was a good reason too, as to why he should not obey his own feelings. Even the way she spoke seemed different. "I don't want to be by myself."

"It's okay, Anise. Go on. I don't mind. Besides, it would have been lonely without someone else in the room." With a sigh, Guy stood from his bed and strolled over to the closet, opening it and taking out a thick blanket before closing the door behind him while Anise just stared dejectedly from the doorway. He made his way back to where she would be sleeping and placed the blanket at the foot of her bed. "Just in case it gets too cold for you in the middle of the night, I'll leave that there, okay?"

"Oh." She crossed the room to her bed and slid under the covers quickly and shut her eyes tightly. Anise then brought the covers up over her head, curling up into a ball under them. "Thanks, Guy. I appreciate this."

"No need to thank me," he answered as he slid into his own bed and rolled over onto his side, not facing her. "Just get some sleep, okay? We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow." He closed his eyes.

Anise stayed still with the covers over her head, listening to the howling arctic winds that blew outside the window and the clumps of snow that knocked against the glass. "What do you think…happened to Natalia?"

"Don't know. I guess she's just elsewhere in the world, trying to make her way back to us."

"But…anyone could have done that by now. Especially, Natalia. It's been _three months_."

"Yeah. You're right."

"Guy…"

"Yeah, Anise?"

"Where do you think she went?"

He chuckled bitterly and rolled over onto his back, staring up at the ceiling. "Somewhere we can't follow."

* * *

Asch glanced over his shoulder after hearing what sounded like clanking noises, but assumed it was just a monster that was far off. This seemed a bit easier to defeated in this place, or had he just gotten a bit stronger? It did not matter to him, either way. 

"I'm positive. This is the right place. Honestly, how could you forget what it looked like," stated a voice that sounded familiar, the person was just ahead of him. It was Guy. Asch made his way to the end of the stretch and stopped just before he rounded the corner. At the moment, he wanted to know what they were doing, so much as to why they had come.

"He does have a point." Jade, most likely.

"Yeah, well…Are you sure we should come here alone? We don't even have a healer with us," complained a young girl, a girl that Asch could not seem to remember the name of. "Tear's still back at the Inn. Couldn't we have waited for her to recover?"

"There's nothing to be worried about," Luke confirmed.

"We have more than enough items to hold us over until we get back. Don't worry, Anise. If worst comes to worst, I'll protect you," Guy replied as he smiled and nodded.

"Aww. Well, alright. Let's keep on movin'!" Anise roared triumphantly as she spun on her heels and began marching in the direction of the place that Natalia disappeared. Jade took one glance back at where he had felt a presence at, but then turned and began following the others.

After assuming that they were far enough ahead, Asch turned the corner and sprinted down the next stretch and once again slowed to a halt to check whether or not they were there. He peeked around the corner, only to quickly pull back when the gaze of Jade fell upon him.  
"Oh, Asch, how wonderful for you to join us. We were beginning to wonder if your little chasing game was getting the best of you," came a sarcastic statement from Jade.

"Man, oh man. We could hear you running the whole time with all that armor on," Guy remarked, grinning as he spoke while Asch emerged from behind the corner.

"If you're wanting to travel with us, then you're more than welcome Asch," Luke suggested, being the only one thus far who had not made a smart remark towards his original.

"Shut up, dreck! I'm just here to see what you were trying to do. That's all." Obviously, Asch was embarrassed.

"Hey! You don't have to be like that. I'm not the one who insulted you! They are!" He gestured towards Jade and Guy.

"Yep…Not the genius we thought he was," Anise stated, smiling smugly at the others.

"Whatever, just what are you doing anyways?" Asch demanded.

"If you must know," Jade began, "we came here to test a theory of mine."

* * *

**Author's Rant**: Asch. Yes. Asch just might be the one for Natalia, because he fits best in this all together. I'm sorry GuyxNatalia fans—wherever you may be. I promise. I'm going to write a nice tragedy for you, consisting of GuyxNatalia. One where Asch dies. How about that? Does that make you happy? 

Eh. I was gonna do that anyways.

I'm gonna write a tragedy of Tales of the abyss. I'm not sure who will die but SOMEONE or SOMEONES will die.

Also, guess what? If you wanna be a pal to me and have some free time to answer a question, head on over to my other story "Left Behind" and go to the third chapter. It is there that you will find what I/you seek. Go at your own risk though. It's located at the bottom of the page—my Author's Rant. I warn you now. That story is of the Bleach series (if you want to read it) and the question derives from Pirates of the Caribbean three, and is spoiler-ed…somewhat.

-Vincentre


	3. Adieu

**Ranting Author (notice report):** Something has been brought to my attention. In that last chapter…I have no idea who one of the characters I described was—and I'm not going to point it out, for the sake of my pride. The PRIDE OF TOMMOROW! That's a good song you know? JUNE sings it.

* * *

**Chapter III**  
_Adieu_

"_Whatever…just what are you doing anyways?" Asch demanded._

"_If you must know," Jade began, "we came here to test a theory of mine."_

"Theory? And that would be…?" Asked the young noble.

"Oh? Curious, are we?" the colonel teased, smile growing wider, "Well, it's good that you're interested, but I have no intentions of revealing it just yet. It's just a theory, mind you."

"Uh-huh." There was a group glare, directed at Jade but he simply shrugged and chuckled.

"He hasn't even filled _us_ in yet," Anise added, turning her gaze back towards Asch.

"Yeah. I was just wondering myself on when exactly you were going to tell us the plan. I mean…this is something serious, isn't it Jade?" Luke spoke, giving jade a skeptical look.

"Yes, naturally. Natalia is very important, thus, we should hurry to find a way to retrieve her. As the heiress to the throne…" Jade trailed off, knowing that they understood by then. "Simply, I have an idea, although it will truly take place tomorrow, once Tear is present. For now, we should hurry. I don't want to stay here too long and I have to prepare for tomorrow, in case it does work."

"So you're saying you might be able to bring back Natalia?" Anise asked with hope in her heart. She had grown so attached to all her allies.

"Whatever. Let's go already," Asch suddenly blurted out, passing through the small group and heading down the corridors. The others followed, chatting to themselves and wondering what the Colonel had in store for them.

* * *

"Awww. C'mon my voluptuous hunny. I promise I won't bite…the wrong places," A certain redheaded chosen stated, easing his way into a seat next to Sheena at the table and scooted closer to her. Natalia's gaze shot to him from across the table, completely in awe as to why he acted that way. He would frequently flirt with her, and every time, she would feel disgusted. 

She simply sighed, rising from her seat wordlessly and making her way towards the exit of the kitchen. Currently, everyone was in Triet, staying in a recently abandoned home. The heat of the sun made it painful to go outside at the moment, so she had been waiting inside most of the time.

After a few minutes of quiet, Zelos stood and headed in the same direction that Sheena had went, passing by a silver haired young woman as he went. She wore a cocky smile and chuckled as she stopped in front of the stove. "Now, then…" The young woman seemed to not have noticed the other in the room.

"Raine?" Natalia asked curiously, "What are you doing?"

"Hm? Oh, Natalia. I was just going to try preparing a meal for everyone," she answered, not bothering to face the other.

"I see…may I help you in any way?"

"Do you have any cooking experience?"

"Well…" Natalia began, glancing around anxiously. Anyone that knew her well enough was aware that her cooking was horrifying. She assumed Raine or anyone else around there had no idea of her problem, since whenever she offered her assistance, it was just to at least peal something. "Yes…" she lied, "I cooked for my friends a few times and they called it…original." Original, as in, not fit to be eaten. "I can help, if you like."

"Why not? That would be excellent, Natalia. They'll be shocked at how well I can cook," Raine declared excitedly, only able to imagine how the others could react, "Shall we?"

"Y-yes. After all, it's the least I can do for your hospitality over these past months. I wouldn't have known what to do if you had just left me in Luin." She smiled and giggle quietly as she rose from her seat and made her way towards Raine at a sluggish pace, knowing that her lie would be over in minutes. Natalia now stood beside the silver haired woman, uneasiness leaking through her tone of voice. "Well…what are we to prepare?"

"Are you alright? You sound nervous."

"I'm fine. Now let's begin."

* * *

"Colonel… _Colonel_…" Anise whined, moving slothfully in the same direction as the others, dragging her feet. 

Luke sighed and glanced over his shoulder reluctantly at the girl and then turned back around. "Jade. Can't you just tell us what you're going to do."

"Alright, alright. If you insist on knowing," Jade began slowing to a halt and adjusting his glasses, "I was planning on performing a special…ritual, on the door to see if it worked."

"And you needed us because…?" Guy stated, raising an eyebrow in curiosity. Asch remained silent, not speaking on the matter. He did not care for their minor quarrels, so he simply turned and strolled casually towards the destination point.

"Well…no ritual can be performed correctly without human sacrifices," Jade confirmed glancing after Asch, who seemed to miss the entire conversation.

A moment of silence occurred for the first time in a while.

"…You…wanna run that by me again?" Luke questioned.

"What?! Sacrifices?! You're not serious, are you Colonel?! I mean…I'm too adorable to be killed!" Anise added frantically, "Natalia may be royalty and all, but we're people too."

"Anise, he's kidding," answered Luke. He then watched as Asch turned a corner and disappeared from sight, "Well…I guess that if the whole sacrifice thing were true, Asch would be the first to go, for the lack of paying attention."

"It's such a bother when I'm taken seriously," said the Colonel, "In any case…we can't be sure on as to how that door activates, therefore, Natalia could simply have been sacrificed and used as a power supply for the whole facility. After all, I'm sure you've noticed that since that incident, the lights have become a bit brighter, don't you think?"

"Jade…don't say anything for a while, alright?"

Jade smiled awkwardly, holding in a laugh, but then gestured for them all to stay put. "All right. This is as far as we go together. I'm afraid I must ask you all to wait here while I make preparations, understood? I will return for you shortly."

"What? Just what are you getting at Jade?" Asch finally spoke up.

"Exactly as I said. Now wait here." The Colonel turned briskly on his heels and began casually strolling away until he was out of sight.

"What was that all about?" Luke asked, glancing at Anise. "He doesn't trust us or something?"  
"No. I'm thinking that he's about to try something dangerous," Guy answered, crossing his arms and leaning against a nearby wall. "It's best if we just wait it out."

* * *

Minutes turned into hours until much time passed and Jade finally returned to the party, wearing a serious expression, but it quickly faded into a smile as he neared. However, Guy and Luke were not present. "Shall we be going back now?" 

Anise shot him a soft glare as she stood from the floor, brushing off her clothes. "Boo. What were you doing that whole time?"

"I cannot explain just yet."

Asch ignored them both completely, sitting on the ground a few feet from where Anise was.

"Where are Luke and Guy?" Jade asked, sounding surprised, considering that he had asked everyone to stay put.

"They went back to Keterburg to check up on Tear," she responded automatically.

"I see," he nodded in understanding while passing by his subordinate and going in the same direction they had came, "Well then. Let's do the same."

"Hold on," Asch began, standing quickly, "What did you do? Will it help bring back Natalia?"

Jade slowed a stop after passing, his back facing them both, "Well, explanations can wait until we are safely out of here. If you come back with us, I'll be more than happy to clear things up for you. However, if you do not join forces with us, I will not answer you. Your choices are: join us, or simply stay out of our way and remain ignorant of the situation." With that said, he began walking once more, using the same pace as before. Anise followed closely behind.  
Asch continued to stand his ground, staring at the other as he departed. He looked away, not answering Jade.

"Then remain in the dark," the Colonel spoke.

Anise glanced back at Asch once more before she and Jade turned a corner, and the young God-General disappeared from her sight. After a few moments, she looked up at Jade as they marched alongside. "Was it okay to just leave him there like that?"

"It can't be helped. He would be a liability if he simply came with us. No matter how strong a man can be, he will forever fall victim to his emotions. One way, or another."

That night, Anise was awoken by low whispers outside her door and she glanced across the room at Mieu, who slept on top of a blanked on the dresser. Quickly but quietly she escaped from the sheets of her bed and crept near the door, pressing her ear against it to get a better sound. She smiled triumphantly, amazed with how quiet she could be. The young guardian listened eagerly, only guessing what the 'adults' could be talking about so late at night. No screaming was going on, so she assumed it was something private and that was why she just had to know. With the way the voices sounded, she assumed they were all together in Tear and Luke's room, across the hall.

"No, that's too cruel to do to Anise," stated someone, who she made out to be Guy, "We can't do something like that. Just tell her the truth."

"The truth in itself could be brutal," answered Tear, sounding cold as always. Rustling could be heard, as if she was filling a bag with items.

"Yeah, but…" Guy said, trailing off.

"Guy's right. We can't just leave her here," Luke declared.

Anise's smile faded as she sat there, ear pressed against the door. "Leave me? What are they…"

"It's for the best Guy. Just remember that. She's not ready for something like this," the female soldier decided, "You agree to _that _at least, right?"

"Yeah…I guess." Silence was all she heard for some time.

Footsteps could be heard approaching her door from down the Hallway. "Now, is everyone ready?" The voice asked, stopping in front of her door, "We have much ground to cover by morning. Remember, time is of the utmost importance, at the moment."

"Yes, Colonel," Tear answered.

"Good. The door is open," Jade confirmed, smiling smugly, "And the time is now. Guy, Luke, Tear, it's time to leave."

Multiple sets of footsteps were heard, going in-between each other's rooms. Anise sprinted over to her bed and crawled within the covers. She could hear the doorknob turn and the door creak as it opened.

Jade stared expressionless at Anise's supposal sleeping form, a small bag thrown over his shoulder. She grit her teeth, wanting to say something, but could not think of anything. They were leaving her behind, and she did not know why. Then he suddenly crossed the room over to Anise and set a letter on the stand next to her bed before crossing back over to her door and closing it quietly.

* * *

Minutes passed and she finally rose from her bed and dashed to her door, jerking it open and slipping into her shoes and an overcoat. With haste, she made it to her door and flung it open, heading for the elevator. She heard the door close as she neared it and wildly pressed the button for the first floor. A few moments passed and the elevator returned empty. Anise rushed inside the elevator and rode it down to the first floor, bursting through the doors when given the chance. Outside, she could faintly see the others walking through the snow. 

With no hesitation, she sprinted out the doors of the Keterburg hotel, only to stop on the snow filled steps. "Wait," she screamed, but the others did not seem to hear her.

Luke thought he had heard something and glanced at Tear who walked along, holding onto the item bag. Guy too carried something over his shoulder, but as he had told them, it was just some extra food.

Suddenly, he heard fast footsteps but then arms wrap around his waist, but the person said nothing. Startled, he reached for his sword, but then recognized the familiar embrace. Luke grabbed the pair of hands on his torso and glanced over his shoulder to see Anise. Her forehead pressed against his back and her eyes closed as she squeezed him tighter.

"Anise." He whispered, giving her a sympathetic expression.

"Why?" Was all she asked, knowing that they understood.

Guy, Tear and Jade had already turned to face them. No one answered her. The colonel glanced at Tear and she nodded, understanding his wordless command.

Without warning, Jade crossed the distance between him and Anise, kneeling down next to her as she slowly unwrapped her arms from around Luke. The redhead turned to face her while Guy stood a ways from them.

"Why, you ask? Because you're not needed," Jade began, setting down his bag and keeping his eyes on her, "Anise, tell me, don't you have something to do here?"

"Well…that's never been an issue before," she retorted angry.

"Yes, but, you misunderstand obviously. Let me rephrase that. Do you not have people who are waiting for you, here?"

"What do you mean," Anise's expression was filled with confusion and disappointment and he frowned.

"Your parents. Florian and so many others will be left in this world."

"But Colonel—"

"He's right, Anise," Guy interrupted, "None of us really have anyone waiting for us when we return. Who's to say, we might not ever come back. Besides, I'm just a servant. No one's really waiting for me when I get back. Tear's got nobody but her Grandfather. Jade has his sister and the emperor—but that's it, really."

"Luke—you're the heir to the throne. Why are you going?" She asked quietly.

Luke shot Guy an awkward glance, then turned back to Anise, "I'm…I'm just fulfilling a duty, really—to bring Natalia back to Baticul..."

"Anise. What we will do is dangerous. Stay here, and wait for our return," Tear added, smiling gently, "Please, take care of Mieu."

"What are you talking about? You make it sound like you're about to go somewhere. All you're going to do is go through that door right? Why are you sounding like you're leaving?!" Anise yelled, her voice cracking from her emotional state.

"Do you remember that letter I left beside your bed?" Jade asked soothingly and she nodded, "You'll understand, then. Read it when you wake up."

Tear raised her staff into a familiar position and began to sing the well-known melody: the first hymn, "Toue Rei Zue Kuroa Ryuo Toue Zue…"

Everything went black and Anise staggered forward, falling into Jade's arms. "I won't…forgive you." She whispered, and then lost consciousness.

Jade sighed and tightened his grip on the young girl as he stood and lifted her off the ground, holding her unconscious form. "Wait for me at the edge of town. I won't be long."

* * *

**Ranting Author (Sub-Cero Version):** As I should say at some point or another, I've divided the roles of the games. One side will most likely be humorous or angst. You see…I've been thinking. I can't have this whole thing being an angst-fest or anything, so I was going to divide the roles a bit. Either Tales of Symphonia be mainly anguish or Tales of the Abyss is mostly comedy. A tragic comedy? 

I don't know which one; so thus far, it might just have to be evened out between them. That sounds better anyway.

Also, I'm just going to babble now.

While listening to music lately, I've come to a conclusion—or not—on the subject of Kratos. I've found two songs that sound like something that would say him and they're both by the same person.

The first is "The Black Halo" and the second is "Forever". The performer is Kamelot. Right now, I'm just going to say The Black Halo because it sounds cooler when you listen to it.

Speaking of Kratos, do you mind if I turned this into a slight Kraine? T'was my favorite couple in Tales of Symphonia.

Um…I was thinking of making the Natalia and Raine cooking tidbit apart of the story, as in, telling what happened during it, but decided not to. Should I just make that a skit/omake/Shinigami Cup chapter and leave it out? Or what? I think I should just leave as it. After all, that chapter would just be one giant crack-tastic chapter.

Well…Crack-tastic, or a deathfic, if you know what I mean when referring to Raine and Natalia's "Cooking" skills COMBINED.


	4. Sever the Border, Final Destination

**Ranting Author (SURPRISE! SOONER-THAN-YOU-THOUGHT Report)**: Right…some of you might be confused as to what's going on. Since I am a confusing person, I'll write out what happened lately. It's going to be at the end though, so I can just sum up this Chapter too.

Actually, I just want to say that I, personally, despised Anise my first play through. And second. Well—no. I began liking her my second play through. Not as a fighter, but as a Character. Same for Natalia, except I actually now like Natalia all around as a fighter and healer. I didn't quite like them both that much at first, but now they're two of my favorite female characters for any video game.

By the way, I don't own any of this. Well, the storyline, yeah. It's longer than all my others thus far. Guess you could call it a special edition or something. It's my eighth chapter--when you add up all my other works. But...something like that should happen for the tenth chapter. Well, I am working on a side story. So far it's got four good reviews and it's '_Comment il finit_'. Another one is coming that is similar to that.

* * *

**Chapter IV**  
_Sever the border—Final Destination_

"_Neppure il cielo può mantenerlo diversi."_

* * *

_Everything went black and Anise staggered forward, falling into Jade's arms. "I won't…forgive you." She whispered, and then lost consciousness. _

_Jade sighed and tightened his grip on the young girl as he stood and lifted her off the ground, holding her unconscious form. "Wait for me at the edge of town. I won't be long."_

"Anise! Anise! Wake up," pleaded a small voice, "This is terrible! You have to get up!"

Naturally, she groaned and turned away, pulling the covers over her head. "Go away, Mieu. Just go bug Luke or something."

"But…the master isn't here anymore! Everyone's gone!"

"What? That's impossible. They wouldn't just—" Then the memory of the earlier night hit her. They _were_ gone.

Anise sat up slowly, swinging her legs out of bed and just sitting there. In the corner of her gaze, she saw a neatly folded paper, tucked neatly under Tokunaga on the stand next to her. After hesitating, she reached over and took the letter and unfolded it, biting her lip to keep away the overwhelming sadness that crept its way into her. She opened it and glanced over the words that met her vision. Mieu hobbled his way over to Anise and hopped on her shoulder. "What does it say," he asked.

"Right…" She sighed and glanced away for a brief moment before looking back, "It reads…"

* * *

_Anise. I only meant well when leaving you behind and currently assume that you are now in need of an explanation. However, what I tell you cannot be repeated to any other._

_During research, I have learned that the facility we have been visiting frequently was not truly just a straightforward building with admirable security, for that matter. Anyone could have seen that it was no ordinary ruin site. I have discovered that, in fact, it was built long ago, in the time of the Dawn Age, as another route to the stars. The miasma was spreading through the land and our ancestors came across many methods to transport them to another world, but no one knew how it was supposed to be activated, and so, this facility was most likely abandoned. What you saw as simply a door that Natalia was trapped behind is in fact, the gateway. If I was correct, then she, and I as well, are now on an entirely different planet, with no clue in how to return back to this world._

_The reasons I did not desire you to come are uncomplicated: your parents, the dreams you have in restoring the Order of Lorelei and keeping Ion's beliefs alive. If there was no guarantee of ever returning to this world, would you still go and take the chance of never returning, leaving behind everyone?_

_I have arranged for Noelle to escort you back to Daath and Mieu, to the Cheagle Woods. _

_Please, do not think ill of my intentions._

_Genuinely,  
Jade Curtiss_

* * *

The redheaded noble stared wondrously at the opened door before him, nothing but the darkness ahead in his view. How Jade had managed to open it, he would never know. 

"Luke. Pay attention," Jade snapped as they neared the gateway to the other world, "If you don't, I can't guarantee your safe passage."

"Pay attention to what? I can't see anything in there," he answered smartly.

"Just because you don't see anything, doesn't mean that it's not there," Tear answered coolly, scolding Luke for his response.

Guy remained silent. Too many things were going through his mind.

The colonel sighed and turned to the healer, "Tear, if you would, please cast Force Field on us. I can't be sure as to how this gateway will react to multiple intruders. On my signal."

She nodded, "All right then.. However, is it all right if I have some time to myself for a few minutes? There's something I need to do before leaving."

"Oh, very well. Five minutes should be enough?"

"Yes." Tear then turned and began walking away, and rounding a corner into a neighboring corridor.

Luke stared after her with an uninterested expression. "Why didn't she just say that she had to use the bathroom, or something? It would have made sense."

"We all need a valid excuse with you, don't we?" Jade responded in kind, "All right. Next time I want to leave, I'll say 'I simply _must_ empty myself, please wait over there while I do so'. Would it be all right if I told you that up front?"

The young noble growled and decided to change the subject. "Hey, Guy. What are you thinking about over there?" Luke nudged his friend in the arm with his elbow.

The blond looked at him blankly, "I was thinking about Anise. We never really got a chance to actually say good-bye. It was either 'we're leaving you behind' or 'we can't guarantee you can come back' that was always said around her. I regret at least not saying any sort of farewell."

"Well, you'll have all the time in the world to apologize and whatnot when we get back—at least that's how I see it," Luke added as a way to cheer him up.

Jade just smiled to himself.

Moments later, Tear returned, followed by a notorious figure.

"A-Asch?! I thought you weren't going to join us," stated the replica.

Asch simply looked away, somewhat humiliated over it all, but it was for someone important, so it was best to get over it and move on. "I'm not doing this because I want to. Natalia is in there somewhere, and I'm going to find her."

Jade raised an eyebrow and looked at Tear, "So this was what you were up to the whole time. I assume you told him everything?"

"No. He insisted on accompanying us earlier at the Inn, so I figured it would be best if we at least had an extra close-range combatant," Tear explained, shouldering her bags while Jade shook his head.

"Guy. Explain to him what is going on…" Jade began, but was interrupted.

"Are you serious," Guy complained, "I don't even get it all myself. And besides, you can do it way better than I can right now."

"When we get there, is what I was going to say, had you not interrupted me. Who's to say, he might surprise us and understand for once," the Colonel teased, "Tear. Begin casting."

Once more, she began chanting, singing the second hymn, "Kuroa Ryuo Zue Toue Ryuo Rei Neu Ryuo Zue…" They instantly felt protection and a sense of invincibility as they gave their concentration to the eldest member of the group.

"Let's go," he ordered as he dashed through the door, with Guy, Luke, Asch and Tear following. The abyss party disappeared into the darkness, heading for what was known, as Sylvarant.

* * *

Lloyd leaned limply out of a second-story window at the Luin Inn, arms dangling helplessly. He moaned and stood up straight, only to slump over again and have rush of nausea. Kratos glanced at him from the other side of the room from time to time, making sure he did not lean too far over and fall out. Ever since Lloyd had eaten a meal prepared by Natalia and Raine, he had rarely left the room, except for certain needs. It was not only him who was cursed at the moment; Genus and Regal were unlucky enough to be the taste testers for Raine's creation with Natalia. Kratos had found it strange that none of the women had become ill, until he was told of their original plan of serving it only to the males. 

"It might be best if you laid down," Kratos suggested, "Some sleep might help."

"If I lay down, I'm going to just get back up again," Lloyd complained.

"That is true…" the older man agreed, turning his attention to another window, "Perhaps a walk outside, then? The night air is a remedy for some."

"No thanks. I don't think I could walk anyways…"

Kratos sighed, giving up. For the past hour, he had been trying to get his son to get out and have some fresh air, or at least eat something. To no avail, however. "Lloyd, they feed you three days ago and you're not feeling better in any way?"

"Actually, the only symptom I have left his nausea. Everything else is gone." He remained quiet for a moment. "How are Regal and Genus?"

"Regal has almost made a full recovery. He was fortunate enough to only have had a handful. Although…Genus…he's somewhat in the same stages of mending as you. I was surprised though. It was only when we reached Luin that you felt ill. A delayed reaction."

Lloyd sighed loudly, suppressing the urge to gag. "And…Zelos?"

"What about me?" Came the infamous voice of the loudmouth.

Kratos turned his gaze to the other chosen as he entered the room, flamboyant as ever. "Zelos never felt any symptoms."

"Huh? Oh yeah. With Raine's cooking an all. Wasn't too bad," Zelos answered truthfully.

Lloyd took the moment to just look over at the redheaded chosen, and simply stare, long and hard. "What do you mean? You ate more than all of us combined. How can you be standing there? You should be dead."  
"Aw, c'mon Lloyd. That's harsh man. Sure their cooking wasn't the greatest, but it wouldn't kill someone right off. Besides, you can keep this magnificent chosen down." Zelos chuckled in a low voice, "Actually, I'm invincible. Invulnerable even."

"You mean to tell me you're getting off free? That's not fair," Lloyd accused, "You ate your body weight in their food and aren't paying for it."

"Yes, it does seem as if it had the opposite effect on you," Kratos added, glancing at his son then turning his attention to the other, "Saying that you are invincible is an overstatement, nevertheless."

"No, really, I'm completely superhuman. After eating that slop Raine made, I was invulnerable to magic. You can cast any spell on me and it won't have any effect. I think that stuff made me a God or something."

"That is not possible, Zelos. Just eating a unusual meal won't give you special power."

"Speak for yourself, Kratos. You ate a crystal and became an Angel."

"That was different." There was a short-lived second of awkward silence. "A Cruxis crystal will do that, but unnatural dinner will not," Kratos argued.

"Whatever. Not only have I become a god, I have reached an all time high in hunny-lovin' history. I now, officially, can get any girl in Luin easily," the man bragged in his matter-of-factly voice, "Just from a glance. I don't know what was in that stuff that Raine created, but I'm now _irresistible_ to all women. Some scorching brunette chick from before called me _'Sex…personified.' _Speaking of which…" He then spun on his heels and headed out the door, while waving. "Seeya. I got somethin' to do tonight."

"How come he gets off not getting sick?" The young swordsman grit his teeth.

Zelos peered around the corner almost a second after stepping out. "Um…Also, Lloyd. Don't eat the leftovers. I'm saving that for the road, all right? Pass it on to everyone. Thanks. You're a pal." Then, he disappeared.

Moments later, Colette innocently strolled into the room, holding a tray of food. Lloyd stifled upon spelling it while Kratos gestured her to set it down on the table.

Colette smiled encouragingly at her friend as she set the tray down on a nightstand and strolled over to him. "How are you feeling?"

"Betrayed."

"Huh?" She gave him a confused look.

"Say…Kratos…? Can you do me a favor?" the young man asked.

"What is it?"

"Cast Judgment on Zelos. It'll judge whether or not he deserves to live."

* * *

"Raine?" Natalia peeked through the cracked door of the room, only to see the other tending to her younger brother who lay asleep in bed with 'the sickness'. 

"Yes?" Raine whispered and glanced at the young princess, "Is something wrong?"

"I wanted to know…where Presea, Colette or Sheena was," she stated, whispering now, as well.

"Ahh. Presea is with Regal, at the moment, and Colette is most likely with Lloyd, but I believe Sheena is somewhere around here. Why do you ask? Do you need help with anything? I could answer it, if it's just a question—"

"No, thank you. I don't want to bother you anymore than I have to." Natalia quickly excused herself, walking away before Raine could reply with anything.

Not long afterwards, she found Sheena. She was near the fountains, staring at the sky above.

"Excuse me, Sheena," Natalia started, being as polite as she could, "May I ask something?"

Sheena glanced at the blond as she neared her, smiling gently and turning to face her, "Well, depends…"

"I want to know about how I arrived here—what you saw." She paused. "Do you remember when you found me at Lake Umacy, was it? Raine mentioned before that there was this flash of light for a moment." Natalia stopped a foot from her newfound friend, a bit hesitant when speaking.

Sheena nodded in confirmation and crossed her arms, sitting on the edge of the fountain. "Yeah. There was—and in the middle of the day too. We saw it and went to go check it out. When we got there…you were face down in the water and Lloyd rushed in to save you."

"I see. Well…three days ago, I saw a flash—a bright one."

"What? Something like that—and this close? Are you sure about that?" Sheena shot the other a skeptical look.

"Yes. It was night and most were asleep." Natalia beamed. "Maybe it means that someone has come for me…"

The female assassin stayed quiet for a moment, not sure if she understood the situation entirely. "Come for you?"

"Someone from my…" She paused. How would one say 'someone from my planet' without sounding strange? Natalia thought on that for a moment.

"World?" Sheena finished, smiling smugly at the blond. "I understand. You're from Tethe'alla aren't you? I was wondering why you seemed to be a bit out of place here, not knowing where or what anything was. Actually, I'm from Tethe'alla myself—" She cut herself off before she gave away anything important. "Nonetheless, I'm from there too."

Natalia stayed silent, not sure how to actually assess the situation, but then she guessed that perhaps that was what they called her world. "Well, what cities does Tethe'alla have?"

Assuming that the other did not remember the area she was from, Sheena decided to just name a few she remembered. "Well there's Meltokio—where that idiot it from. I'm from the village, Mizuho and Presea is from Ozette. There's also Flanoir, Sybak and Alt—"

Sheena was interrupted by a thunderous roar, most likely from a monster in the nearby area. She stood, surveying the area while Natalia crept to her side and reached for her bow and an arrow. "No…"

"What is it?" The ninja asked fiercely.

"I left my bow."

The roar came once more in the opposite direction from before—the direction off the Inn. "Either that's one fast monster, or there's more than one."

"Should we escape while the path is open?"

"I can handle it. Just head back to the Inn and wait for me. Nothing in this area is a challenge." She sprinted down the path to where she heard the first monster, determined to destroy whatever she found before the other could argue.

Natalia sighed and turned around, only to be greeted by the growling of a monster. She tensed and made a move to back away, and the wolf-like fiend bared its fangs at her as a reaction, drool dripping from its mouth. "Sh..Sheena?" She turned her head slowly to look in the direction the other had disappeared. "Sheena." Natalia chanted louder, trying to get her attention. Casting a spell was impossible. The monster was just too close and could easily reach her in a second. Now was one of those times that she would say 'Frontline, stay focused' when an enemy slipped through the others and interrupted her casting.

In the blink of an eye, something red flashed across her view, behind the monster. Her instincts told her it was not who she was hoping it to be. A second later, that same thing leapt from hiding and swung its sword at the beast, cutting it in half effortlessly. "Oh yeah. I am greatness," it commented as it sheathed its sword.

"Zelos...?" Natalia asked, sounding relieved, "Is that you?"

"Yeah. It's me. Saw you were in quite the bind there, my shy hunny." He grinned maliciously. "Well, I saved you. I'm in need of an award now and since I'm now a god, make it good."

"Thank you, so much for saving me."

"Thank you? Is that it?" He made his way to her until he was right in her face, smiling all the while, "I just swooped in to save the lady in distress. Shouldn't you dub me your knight and award me with _priceless_ gifts?"

"I don't believe I like where you're going with this," she decided to change the subject, "Sheena hasn't come back yet. Perhaps you should look for her."

"Oh, c'mon…" Zelos sighed and hung his head in defeat, putting a hand on her shoulder.

Without warning, something emerged from the shadows behind the redhead, and with blinding speed, aimed to take down the man before her in one stroke. Acting quickly, the chosen drew out his sword and turned just in time, blocking the oncoming attack. Swords clashed, and Natalia seemed to recognize the assailant.

"To what do I owe this visit, dear assassin?" Zelos asked cockily.

"I'm not here to kill you," the other replied automatically, jumping away from Zelos and sheathing his sword.

"Oh, then what was that all about? Say, you look familiar. Do you have a sister named Gina?" He tensed for a moment. "I swear. She said she was nineteen and barren—"

"Guy!" Natalia shouted, joy welling up inside her. She crossed the distance between him, but stopped on sheer instinct. After all, he did have gymnophobia.

The redhead glanced at Natalia with confusion in his expression, "Yeah, Natalia. I know he's a male and all but—"

Guy sighed in relief. "I'm glad to see you all right," he answered in a sincere voice. He smiled that same way, filled with kindness. She had almost forgotten what he was like.

"Hold on. You two know each other?" The out of place youth asked, glancing between Guy and the princess.

The young princess nodded, at a loss of words. She just gazed at her rescuer, feeling as if she could cry.

"Yes, they do," spoke another male voice, and they all turned to see whose voice it is, "Actually, we're all somewhat acquainted."

"A…All?" Natalia questioned, then beamed upon seeing the other familiar, "Jade! You've come for me as well?"

He simply smiled. "I trust you've been well."

"Right. We came looking for you. Tear, Jade, Luke, Asch and I, that is," Guy spoke, answering Natalia's earlier question.

"Guy!" a male called from far away, waving his hands in the air, "Hey. What are you doing over there? Is everything all right?"

"Come here!" He yelled back eagerly, "We found her!"

Luke glanced at Tear and a large smile crossed his face. He began dashing in their direction and Tear not far behind. When the young noble reached his childhood friend, he wrapped his arms around her, bringing Natalia into an embrace. They stood wordlessly for a moment.

Overwhelmed with contentment, Natalia could not hold it any longer. Tears came streaming down her cheeks and she buried her face into the crevice of his neck. An instant later, they could all hear footsteps nearing them. There was a brief pause as the person stopped, only a few feet from the embracing two. Tear glanced at them.

"Natalia?" The male voice asked, voice sounding unsure.

She looked up to see who had called out to her, but already knew whom the voice belonged to. "Asch…" In nearly not time, she was holding him in her arms, crying aloud into his chest. "You're really here…" she would say in-between sobs.

At first he stiffened up from her contact, but then relaxed and brought her into a comforting embrace by wrapping his arms around her, whispering, "You don't have to worry anymore. We can go home now."

They all remained quiet and looked away out of respect, except for Zelos. He raised his eyebrow in question and sighed. "Well isn't that just peachy? Who's this? A brother or something?"

"No, Zelos…obviously they're her friends. They look nothing alike," came the answer from Sheena as she approached them, turning to Tear and Jade, "I saw the entire thing. You must be from Tethe'alla too."

Luke glanced at Jade, making a panicked expression. The young noble chuckled nervously, "Uh…well…We're from—"

"Flanoir," Jade lied smoothly, "We came here in search of Natalia, when she vanished without a trace. Honestly, I didn't think anyone would know of our world here." He adjusted his glasses, sounding as professional a liar as ever. Truthfully, he had been listening in on Natalia and Sheena's earlier conversation, thus, he understood.

Sheena smiled smugly, "See there. I knew you were from Tethe'alla. Why didn't you just say so?" She patted the crying princess on the back soothingly, but then returned her attention to everyone else, "So, do you have a place to stay for the night? My friends and I are saying at a local Inn."

"Oh yes, that would be nice," the eldest abyss member answered before anyone else could. "However, we would hate to be a burden and cause you finance trouble."

"No problem," Sheena replied, "We've got more than enough to cover you all. C'mon." She turned and began leading them away, aside from Natalia and Asch. The Princess wiped her eyes and looked up at her greatest companion, in complete bliss. A small grin crossed his face and he glanced after the others.

"C'mon. We should go too," he stated.

"All right…" she answered reluctantly, not wanting to leave just yet.

Asch released Natalia and began following the others who had left them, dragging her along with him by her arm as he went. It was a natural reaction for him to do that. After all, the last time he let her out of his sight, she ended up in another world.

Zelos sighed sadly and shook his head, "Awww. And she was such a cutie too. I could have gone places with her…" He glanced back at Natalia longingly.

"Zelos…You actually ought to work on your 'womanizing' dilemma," the young ninja answered on cue, always telling him to get over himself in some way.

Guy quickly looked at Zelos with a strange expression, not quite sure why someone would say something such as that out loud. He decided to forget what he had heard and focus on what was to befall them at daybreak: the task of returning home.

* * *

"_Li ho trovati, il mio amore."_

_To be continued…_

* * *

**Ranting Author (Time-consuming Version)**: GAAAH! You see how long this chapter is?! It's completely ridiculous. 

So anyways, Natalia disappeared from the world of Auldrant. Yeah. We all got the gist of that. In a thought to help her, Jade began research on what that place was, since he already knew that it was not just simple ruins. He came to learn that it was a portal of sorts and that it leads to another world. When he, Anise, Guy and Luke go there, he sets up a code to open the door, but only for a limited time, thus, that's why he hurries them along. When it is said that Tear is left at the Inn to recover, that was just a lie to keep Anise from finding out they were leaving. Tear is a HEALER. She can RECOVER any time she wants. So in actuality, Jade ordered Tear to gather supplies around town while they were gone. Asch stops by the Inn and asks Tear when they were leaving so he could go as well.

That night, they made their move to leave, and of course, Anise found out. Tear puts Anise to sleep and Jade takes her back to her room. By morning, the entire party is gone—in Sylvarant.

In case you were wondering about the Raine and Natalia cooking thing, Regal had a little—being smart, and got away with bad stomachaches. Genus ate almost as much as Lloyd and fell prey to it with similar symptoms. Zelos ate more than half of his share, which was more than all three men combined somehow, and gained some sort of special powers. Currently, he keeps the rest hidden somewhere.

I think I overdid it with Zelos and his womanizing gig, but hey...what can I say, really? I liked him like that. He was funny--disrespectful to all women, but funny.


	5. Thems Fightin' Words

**Ranting Author (I'm so Dead):** I'm supposed to be doing homework, yet I'm doing this instead. Man, I'm so gonna fail…

"The Arcana is the means by which all is revealed…"

* * *

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_Thems Fightin' Words_  
**Chapter V **

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Luke glanced around, seeing Jade smile to himself as he listened to Raine ramble on and on about the difference between Sylvarant and Tethe'alla. His gaze was drifting from Raine to Guy. Currently, the golden haired swordsman was speaking with Zelos about the '_different type of hunnies available'_, and '_what he was aloud to do in Zelos' royal presence_'. Every now and then, he would throw Jade a 'help me out' glare and turn back to the other as if listening.

"And you see that curvy young woman over there?" Zelos stated suddenly, gesturing towards Sheena from the bar area and Guy glanced automatically at her, "She's a banshee—and _my_ voluptuous banshee at that!" He beamed and let out one of his infamous fake laughs, turning his full gaze on the woman. Little did he know that he was in hearing range. "I mean seriously, who wouldn't think that either? Though she may be the source of most of my problems currently, she's still my girl. Sheena…well…she's got a nice body, doesn't she?"

"Uh…yes. She's exceptionally pretty," the blond swordsman answered quietly, "Though I _really_ don't think you should talk about her like that anymore. It's degrading." The little noble within Guy was beginning to surface and take over as he eyed Zelos warily, trying to warn him that Sheena had not been clenching her fist for her own good. His obvious warnings, however, were in vain.

"_What_? _Sheena_? Nah. You couldn't degrade that—or even _down_grade. That's pure _up_grade." The chosen's words seemed to be coming more naturally now, as if he spoke from a script. He waved his hand every couple of seconds and flashed a sly smile at the other man.

Guy could feel it. He could sense that Zelos was about to say something to get himself in trouble, and Sheena would rush over faster than he could get away. He put a hand over his face and pretended that everything was fine as Zelos finished his little speech, "After I have my daily something with her later on, I'll explain what I mean, though it may be a little hard." He sighed deeply and continued his avowal, not noticing when the woman he was speaking of rose from her seat. "With Sheena, it's more like a terminal acquaintance—fatal attraction. Like there's no dream—it's not _exciting_. The only thing you can look _forward_ to _is_ her boobs, ass and—"

Guy could not describe what speed she displayed. It might have even rivaled his own, considering that he was unsurpassed in that area with his group. He assumed that Zelos had not even seen what hit him, because he did not either. It was a flicker of a hand or foot—that he was sure of. All he was truly certain of was that his fellow male companion was most likely incapacitated from being knocked over the counter before dropping to the floor. Guy somehow had reached the other side of the room just as Sheena delivered her blow. The tactician marveled at his own swiftness for the moment, surprised that he didn't freeze in place from terror. _She really is a banshee_, he concluded, observing the damage the woman had done. Sheena gave a sweet smile in Guy's direction from where Zelos once was, waving enthusiastically as to say 'sorry for that'. He simply sighed and shook his head and decided that he should at least check on the one that was just assaulted.

Jade, from afar, grinned as Luke slid into a chair next to him and Raine. "Oh…such youthfulness…" There was something about his voice that made it seem like he was singing.

"Are you kidding me? She killed her comrade," Luke pointed out, flashing a worried glance at Guy. He hoped it had not been too much for the gynophobia stricken one.

"Pay them no mind. It's normal for them to quarrel, especially since he provokes her actions," Raine muttered nonchalantly, turning her gaze to the redheaded young man beside her, "Your name was _Luke_, correct? I'm Raine. You may me Professor, if preferred. Either is fine with me."

"Raine is good, and yes, I'm Luke," he answered with a smile, eyeing her ears. He had never seen such pointy ears in all his life—it must have been hereditary, since her brother had them as well.

"Ahh. So the other one was Asch then," she whispered to herself.

The colonel cleared his through to get their attention. "Forgive me. I forgot make a proper introduction for the both of you, but since you're already so acquainted with each other…" He trailed off, sounding so insincere. Raine smiled, somehow believing his words while anyone who truly knew Jade was convinced he was faking it.

The young swordsman looked away with an uninterested expression, sighing heavily as he mumbled, "If only your intentions were that pure," under his breath. He then took a moment to really observe the room. Before he, Guy, Tear, Jade and Asch came to this place, Luin, he had only seen wooded areas and marshes. When he found out that cities actually existed, it was all but comforting to his normal lifestyle—and the fact that he had to survive the wild with Jade for days, knowing that the wicked mastermind wanted to dissect a few monsters _'in the name of science'_. Of course, Guy was his noble assistant by force, while Tear simply hung about quietly and watched. Asch, on the other hand, complained continuously about there being no time to stall and be sluggish.

It was horrible. Three days was what it took them to travel a few miles to the city. Most likely, it could have been a day's journey, had there not been a power struggle of when to stop between the Colonel and the God-General. In the end, as usual, Jade always won. It was fate.

"Is your other companion alright? The woman that was with you," Raine suddenly asked, directing her attention at the youthful person at the table.

Luke gazed at Jade momentarily, and then turned his concentration to the woman beside him. For some reason, the question made no sense. "Eh…Natalia?"

"Tear," Jade corrected, sounding slightly annoyed for some reason, "Well she was tired Perhaps we should check on her again, Raine?" There was an interested tone in his voice, as if he looked forward to visiting his teammate.

Finally, the other put two-and-two together. "What? Something's wrong with Tear!? What happened!? Is she alright?!" By then he was on his feet, a worried expression etching onto his face. Others who were in the area heard his voice and casually yet noticeably glanced at him, suddenly feeling the urge to know why the boy was upset, but did not want to impose.

"Calm down," The older member intervened in a harsh yet soothing tone, motioning for Luke to sit, though the young man remained standing nonetheless, "Remember before we came to Sylvarant that we left Tear at the Keterburg Inn to heal from her wounds? She was ill, though she did have her share of injuries. Her life wasn't threatened in the very least, but for protection, I asked her to stay behind and relax at the Hotel…Though now it seems as if I acted too soon in this little rescue mission and overexerted her body. This may be quite the setback now…"

"How can you be so calm about this?! This is Tear we're talking about!" The last line was just a bit too loud in his opinion and he winced, lowering his tone and using to an irritated hiss as he continued, "You have to do something about this. Is there anything at all in this world that can help? Isn't there a healer around—what about Natalia?"

"Natalia isn't able to heal exhaustion. You should very well know that."

"What about that Recover spell she can use?"

"Honestly Luke…Is Tear poisoned?"

"I don't know! You tell me!"

"If you don't know what to say, then don't say anything at all. You're not thinking."

"Okay…fine." The aristocrat was composed unexpectedly, turning into the same young man who led his friends so well. "There should be a healer in this world—or a doctor at least. I'm guessing that's where Natalia and Asch went, since they seem to be nowhere around when I woke up earlier." Jade smiled knowingly and nodded in confirmation. "Then that's out of the way for now."

Luke hesitated for a moment, as if he would say something before he lowered his head, thoughtful of the situation.

"One more thing Luke," Jade interjected unexpectedly, "We did try healing techniques already from a well taught healer, but some sicknesses can't be healed—such as a fever. However, we'll do what we can to help. Though really, all she needs is a little rest. She's been helping me a lot lately, so it's understandable really."

"Is that so? Well you should be tired too then, if that's the case."

"Me? I'm hurt, Luke. I'm always energized and ready for anything. You know me by now, don't you? And here I thought we were somewhat of acquaintances." Jade flashed his typical warm yet deceiving smile. "Everything will be all right, so don't worry about it. As soon as Tear is better, we'll be on our way. Don't forget to prepare."

The redhead simply stared, smiling and letting out a small chuckle. "You really can ruin a serious conversation. But thanks…I guess that's your way of trying to cheer me up."

"Nothing of the sort. Now get going. The last time I was up there she was asking about you. Perhaps she's a little bored up there."

"W-Why didn't you tell me this earlier?! Geez," he complained before heading off to meet Tear.

Raine smiled and shook her head. "I take it they're a couple," she commented to Jade.

"It seems so. And I take it that Lloyd and Colette are somewhat together as well."

"It seems so," she answered, mimicking his reply. "Tending to the younger ones of your group… You and I are a lot alike in that. I'm actually a teacher, back where I come from—Iselia. Lloyd, Colette and Genis are my students. The others we met up with on our journey. I'm guessing that you're a educator too, you have that air about you."

"Really? That's surprising. I don't see anything about myself that says 'professor'." He adjusted his glasses, a small grin on his face. "I'm a soldier of my homeland, and nothing more. I grew up in a small town and was raised by a wealthy family so my instruction was of course top notch."

"Oh, that's pretty boring. Could you two stop talking like you're an old married couple and get on with it? Seriously…" the colorful man commented, seating himself in a chair next to Raine and leaning across the table to peer at Jade.

"So you've awoken from your long slumber?" The Colonel stated, "That's good…but, forgive me, I must say that I haven't the slightest idea what your name is…"

"Zelos. Master of all beings of the opposite gender."

"I see. So you're the embodiment of everything Guy doesn't stand for. In a sense, you could be called his Shadow Opposite."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Zelos grunted, leaning back in his chair.

"Nothing. It's just a nickname really. Right? It's nothing _bad_." Jade threw a glance at Raine who nodded in return.

"I can't tell if that was an insult…"

"It's not, Zelos. Stop complaining," the woman spoke.

The chosen winked at her and flashed a mischievous smile. "If you say so, my dear. Now back to the topic at hand." He pointed at Jade, preparing his questioning. After all, he had to know whom Raine was throwing her friendship around with. "I'm gonna ask you a few things and have to answer."

"What? Suspicious of me perhaps? I've done nothing wrong."

"I don't care. Just answer okay."

"Very well, I have nothing to hide." Jade nodded, agreeing with himself. He had nothing to hide, but that did not mean he would reveal it.

"Ever been arrested for something—well, criminal record?" Zelos began.

"Technically speaking, no."

"I'm not buying it—but next question! Got a wife or ever been married?"

"No."

"Kids?"  
"I said I wasn't married. That should tie in together."

"That doesn't mean you haven't been around a few times…"

"Enough interrogating, Zelos! You're being impolite. Personal inquiries such as those are out of the question!" Raine spoke quickly and in a hushed tone, so not to bring too much attention to the flamboyant man. She glared, threatening him in her own way.

"Fine fine. I get it. I was just asking the stuff you obviously weren't going to get to."

"Speaking of the woman you were talking about…Sheena, was it?" Jade cut in, motioning towards to the bar where Guy and Sheena were talking eagerly with each other, Presea sitting silently next to the blond man while occasionally glancing at them both.

Zelos was stuck in a state of awe when his eyes wandered onto the pair. They were laughing while Guy made gestures and drew shapes of things in the air; Sheena gigged to some of his explanations. He waved his hands before resting them on the counter, still smiling. Guy then said something to her and she turned away, appearing bashful from his comment to her.

"I know that type of giggle…and that shy attitude…women on either side of him…" The redhead spoke slowly, analyzing the two. "It's bad enough that Presea is there but…Sheena is cheating on me!" He exclaimed, rising from his chair.

His outburst caused both of them to swivel around on their stools to face him.

"I'm not cheating on anybody," Sheena retorted. "Quit being so dramatic!"

"Oh. I'm sorry if our conversation came out that way," the blond commented, wanting to mend whatever damage he may have caused. "All I said was that she was a very beautiful young woman…"

"You **LIE!** I thought you were afraid of women! _Lies!_ All of them—lies!"

Presea, slid down from the stool, began crossing the room to the exit, "What he said to Sheena was: _'I don't know why Zelos says those things to you. You're a beautiful young woman who deserves respect and even if he doesn't value your personality, I do.'_"

"How incredibly blunt. And they've just met," Jade affirmed.

"That was sweet of him to say that…your friend," the healer said.

"Is that so? Well that's just Guy. He never thinks before he speaks."

"Well if he says things like that, it's not necessarily bad…"

* * *

"She went where with who and did _what_?!" Zelos exclaimed, covering his ears and shaking his head as if it was the first lie he had ever heard. It was all happening so fast. Everyone was leaving him—well, his _lovely hunnies_ at least. "All my lovelies are leaving me! First Sheena and now Raine!"

"It's not the end of the world," Lloyd said, rolling his eyes. "Even if Sheena's got a slight interest in your newly proclaimed enemy…I think it's just one sided though."

"He's the Antagonist to my Protagonist! That's more than an enemy!"

"You still have your sister."

"You don't know how wrong that comment is Lloyd…and I don't expect you to understand why any time soon."

"Wha-What's that supposed to mean?!"

"Jade…Guy…all those other worldly people are taking our women! We've got to do something, man. If this keeps up, we're gonna lose 'em all!"

"I think I'll be okay if that happens…" Lloyd muttered.

"Really? What if Colette suddenly gets interested in that Luke guy."

"W-Well, that's not going to happen! C-Colette and I are—"

"I sense doubt."

"Shut up, Zelos!" Lloyd turned his attention elsewhere. "Have you seen Kratos today? I wanted to train with him… I need someone to _fight _with. You know, a _fellow_ swordsman. Someone who's _skilled_ in _combat_."

"We'll if you're implying what I think you're implying, then the answer is _no_."

"Oh c'mon! Just for a little while! I'm bored out of my mind. What's the advantage of having the ability to fight if you never use it?"

"Go ask _Guy_. I mean, he's _so nice_ and all. I'm so sure _he'll_ help you," Zelos baited, "And I don't think I'll be mad if you _kill him on accident_. You know what they say: if you can't win, annihilate the competition." And if he could not get rid of him, Zelos would destroy all evidence that he tried. Sheena was just that important.

"Don't even joke like that. Good idea though. I could ask Guy…oh wait. He and Sheena went out to town earlier. Guy was _curious_ about the technology used here…and she _willingly_ agreed to _show him around_." Lloyd said, speaking loudly and obviously addressing Zelos' suspicions.

"I'm going to pretend you didn't say that. Anyways, go ask Luke then," Zelos declared, changing the subject.

"I don't think he'll do sword training with me. Ever since he's arrived, I've met everyone and they've been nice, but not him. I haven't even been in the same room with him for more than ten seconds." Lloyd complained, rubbing the back of his neck with a sheepish smile. It was true. Since arrival, although Luke had not noticed it even himself, he had not even seen the other swordsman. He was either nowhere to be found, or simply elsewhere when the younger one entered the room. Lloyd, on the other hand, took it as an act of aversion towards him. "He…doesn't like me. I've tried to get his attention by saying a little, but he'll just mumble something and walk away."

"Luke? Why would you think something like that?" Guy commented, sounding his typical self as he entered the area, a bright and warm smile on his face. "He's just having a hard time adjusting while looking after our friend. Give him a little time."

Zelos shot him the evil eye, but Guy pretended not to notice.

"I heard you went with Sheena somewhere. Why are you here?"

"Uh…she had something to do, so I just came back," the golden haired swordsman replied honestly. "Sorry. I didn't know you were looking for her. I told her to go on and complete what she had intended to do and I would just go out alone later. However, she insisted that tomorrow we try again." He smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head. Perhaps he said too much…

"Hmph!" Zelos turned his nose up at the comment and folded his arms, "Well fine."

"That doesn't explain why he's been so snappy at me. All he does is brush me off," Lloyd continued, voicing his concern. He had never met someone so hateful—someone hateful, yet not evil at the same time.

"What? Luke? Wait a second, are we talking about the same person?" Guy questioned.

"Yeah," Lloyd and Zelos answered simultaneously.

"He's got that red hair and he scowls a lot and Natalia is always with him," the younger man continued. "He's really mean—that Luke."

"I didn't think it was possible, but you proved me wrong. For you to have mistaken Luke for Asch would have been understandable had they the same length of hair—even the same clothing…" Guy trailed off, covering his face with a hand to avoid Lloyd's gaze. "That's _not_ Luke. That's Asch." At the moment, he just wanted to speak with someone intellectual. However, between Lloyd and Zelos on this subject, such a desire was not possible.

The brunette and scarlet haired men stood there, sheepish grins on their faces as they laughed nervously. How were they supposed to know that there was an obvious difference between the two?

"So uh…that other guy was Luke then? No wonder he was with you guys so much! He also looks a lot like Asch too."

Guy laughed in order to hide his frustration. He had just gotten Luke to get over the fact that he was a replica of Asch, now people were lumping them in together regardless of knowing them. He already had a low self-esteem as is, especially when it came to a certain touchy subject. "Zelos, I really thought you understood that there were two different people. You were even there that night when we all met."

"Yeah, but it was dark and I couldn't see very well…"

"Enough about that. I'll make sure you know the difference." Guy turned to leave. "Lloyd, go wait outside while I go get Luke, as for you Zelos, are you looking for a partner too? Want to face Asch?"

"Uh…_no_." Zelos shifted anxiously. Something about the expression his enemy had made him feel uncomfortable. Was he trying to kill him indirectly? "Why do you sound so determined?"

* * *

**Ranting Author (Re:Chapter V)** – Okay. Differences done are practically the entire second half of the story. I didn't like the second half and I just threw it in there.

But really, I'm gonna turn this thing around. I'm not going to go on hiatus. I'm going to change my ways and actually keep this thing going, though I'll probably abandon it again. At least now I'm changing it.

I like romance so I'll throw a love triangle or two in there, but let me know if it's not working…

-Vincentre


	6. Indignant Rivalry

**Ranting Author (Dedication Version):** Guess what? Death_Skater, you're still 'Deather'. Also, I took a few suggestions, though I suddenly can't remember…

Oh! One of the ones where Lloyd's keysphere glows and stuff. It would make sense if Luke questioned why it was there.

"The moment man devoured the fruit of knowledge he sealed his fate."

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_Indignant Rivalry_  
**Chapter VI**

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The skies were bright and cheery, in contrast with the serious combat taking place.

Heavy breathing and the sound of cheering echoed throughout the area as a small swarm people edged on the two, young combatants. Luke had been reduced to removing his white overcoat and wearing his black undershirt, while Lloyd had become shirtless and given up on all manners of trying to remain decent. Both were drenched in sweat from the practice battle that lasted for too long, in their opinions.

A frustrated grunt sounded from the young redheaded replica as he tried to push the other swordsman away from him. The sound of his sword against Lloyd's had been a piercing sound of metal clashing, then they locked into a stance—each trying to overpower the other.

The small mob of seven or eight had gathered to watch at both entrances of the alleyway, and others peeked down from their windows of the Inn and the weapons shop next door. Onlookers had marveled at the skill of both fighters since dawn, given that they had been sparring for the past two hours. Tear's blue eyes gazed down from her window, seemingly healthier than the day before and Jade from another that was within her room. Guy stood at the end of the passage along with Zelos, who seemed to be more of his shadow nowadays, and bringing back his nickname of Shadow Opposite. As far as Luke was concerned, Guy had lied about being drafted into helping someone. Natalia, on the other hand, had taken root opposite end of the path. Asch, always good for observing the replica, folded his arms and stared down from the roof of the Inn with disgust. It was his way of saying 'you'd better not lose, dreck'.

The swordsman with two blades struggled to keep his stance against the other, who suddenly found the strength he needed. With his renewed energy, he broke the deadlock between them, pushing Lloyd backwards and leaping away for distance at the same time. However, the other fighter was much faster than what Luke had expected, regained control of the situation and was back at his opponent in a matter of seconds, swinging five nearly inescapable blows at his enemy. If he were as fast as his comrade Guy, it would have been a simple matter to dodge the strikes, but his swiftness was not as great. For defense, all the crimson haired combatant could do was block and hope that the attacks did not break his sword.

At the end of Lloyd's combo, things seemed to no longer be in Luke's favor. Between attacking once then defending, the brunette never let up on offense. His speed was far more superior to Guy's so suddenly, and it was as if he was not getting tired or even breathing hard. Blow after blow, Lloyd stayed strong, not faltering during any of his foe's retaliating hits. There was a strange air around the other and Luke decided that it was best to keep his distance until he returned to normal, if Lloyd had in fact performed what he was also familiar with—an Overlimit. The jewel on Lloyd's hand began to glow faintly, as if he was drawing power from it. Luke noticed and wondered what the connection between the strange gemstone and Lloyd was. Perhaps it was his weak point… Then again, it seemed as if everyone wore the jewel.

As a last resort, Luke turned quickly and fled towards the end of the alleyway, only to have his plans thwarted by the opposing force. Out of instinct, he dove to the left—and just in time as one of Lloyd's swords dug into his right arm, rolling off to the side on onto his feet again. He grimaced as he fell against one of the sidewalls within the small pathway, gripping the wound on his arm. The pain was great, but the gash was not as deep as it looked as he soon used '_Steel_' to regenerate himself, even if it was enough to stop the bleeding and not the throbbing. Energy in the color of red appeared brightly around him, then faded away as quickly as he released himself from his wall. Something about using the arte left him with a strange nauseating feeling in his stomach, distracting him momentarily. He stumbled forward, catching his balance as he reached and gripped something on the wall next to him again.

"Luke!" Tear shouted upon seeing her companion injured and his current state. His gaze wandered up to her automatically as he turned to face Lloyd with new determination. He smiled warmly, as always and gave her a quick wave as to say '_I'm okay_'. "You're moving too much. Find a way to keep up with him and change your style of fighting. You have other moves besides thrusting and guard—"

"I know, I know!" He interrupted, as usual, sighing and shaking his head. And here he thought she was worried about him. Encouragement would have been nice. Then, he took the moment to turn his attention to the roof, where he knew the Original was watching. Asch had a blank expression that was hard to read, considering that he barely seemed to be watching the battle. It was not disappointed nor particularly a proud look he was giving his replica. His lips were then moving, like someone else was on the roof with him holding a conversation. Just after a few seconds of gazing at the Original, Asch unfolded his arms and stated something to the other on the Inn's roof before backing away from the ledge and leaving Luke's sight.

Natalia gave Luke a curious glance and followed his gaze to the rooftop, where she saw nothing. A moment later, her cousin's green eyes observed her then looked away.

"We can end it here," Lloyd suddenly proposed upon seeing Colette's displeased expression upon him wounding the other. She had suddenly appeared through the crowd with Regal, witnessing her partner's ruthless attack. "Let's call it a day—" He knew he was in for it with the expression she wore.

"Alright," Luke answered hurriedly, grabbing his white overcoat and sprinting off in a rush, Guy catching his urgency and following. Jade had also disappeared from the window.

The brunette marveled at how easy it was to persuade the other. He was definitely nothing like Asch.

"What was that about, Lloyd? You looked angry…were you two fighting for real?" Colette commented uneasily, nearing her friend as he slipped back into his discarded clothes.

"What? No! We were just sparring. Anyways, where have _you_ been, Regal?"

Regal shot him disbelieving glare before softening his features, not quite smiling. "In the area. Why?"

"Not going to tell me? Okay…for now!"

Colette spun and starting running towards the spot where she saw Luke vanish.

"Hey! Where're you going?!" Lloyd called.

"I'm going to see if he's okay! He looked kinda sick!"

"H-Hey! Wait for me then!" And he followed.

* * *

"I told you not to fight him." Jade commented, his arms crossed as he gazed down at the replica in front of him. Luke sat on the stairs to the back entrance of the item shop, having fled the scene of the battle site due to the fact that he felt like vomiting. "Out of curiosity, did you eat the meal Raine prepared this morning?"

"Yeah…why?"

"Oh, no reason." He smiled mischievously, about to test a theory. "Your body is just getting used to things here. It's barely different from our own world—but there _are _differences."

"I still don't really understand," Luke admitted.

Jade readjusted his glasses and turned his gaze to Guy.

"Oh no. Forget it. I'm not explaining."

"Guy. Explain." He readjusted his glasses once more, and they all knew that it was a threat.

The noblemen sighed, "So it's like he said: Mana…It's kinda like—well…the same as our Fonons, just by a different name. We're composed of Fonons, but also, of Mana if you think about it—since they're both the same and all. We can live in this world, seeing that it's similar to our own. Our bodies are just recovering from crossing from our world to this one, and thus the nausea, since I guess it affected the fon slots in our bodies. Nothing to worry about. In time, you won't have a sick feeling."

"Hopefully, we'll be gone by then," Luke added, covering his mouth and hanging his head with the wave of nausea and dizziness. He groaned. "So this is what Tear was feeling…"

"More or less yes, but a constant wave of illness, since it seemed like she was casting First Aid repeatedly when we first came to this world," Jade hinted.

"I got it already, I'm a careless fighter."

"However, she's almost fully recovered and no longer feels any sign affects after casting spells. Same for myself also," the Colonel added.

"So you felt sick too? Why didn't you say something?"  
"I preferred not to. That's all."

"Jade…You can tell us these things, you know?" Luke spoke. "Friends do that. I mean, we're friends right?"

"Maybe." He turned away, a little embarrassed but it was hard to tell in the first place. "Well I'm heading back now. Guy, tend to Luke will you?"

"Don't I always," the blond swordsman answered, sitting himself next to his friend on the steps and giving a slight wave to the older man.

The Colonel then left back for the Inn.

"Luke?"

"Yeah, Guy?"

"You know he was lying about that whole thing, right?"

"What?!" Luke huffed. "Which part is the lie?"

"This world's the same—just a different name and way of doing things. You're only sick because you ate Ms. Raine's cooking."

The remained quiet for a moment, both in thought.

Luke felt somewhat betrayed.

"You saw that thing on his hand, right? Lloyd. What do you think that was?" Luke asked.

"Hmm…" The blond crossed his arms and leaned back on the steps. "Let's see. That jewel was pretty much some sort of device he used…"

"So you don't know either."

* * *

Night fell and the two still continued to sit on the steps, talking about times past and things that had been happening. Apparently, Guy had inexpertly captured the hearts of many women within Luin, and had not even noticed. It was only when Luke pointed out the things that he had seen that he finally realized.

They had only fallen silent when a particular subject came up: Anise.

Luke did not have the heart to say anything while Guy was silenced by his guilt.

So they decided to take a walk on the outskirts of town, knowing that they would probably be leaving this place tomorrow. It was for the memories.

'_Hey dreck! You still alive, or did that kid kill you?'_ Came the booming voice of Asch in his mind. Why did there have to be some sort of psychic connection?

'_Not now!'_

_'Sorry but I'm not gonna leave a message and call back later just for you. And why are you sitting on your ass?!'_

_'I used an arte earlier…'_ Luke wandered if he had been tricked by the Colonel too.

_'Oh…'_ Asch responded, his tone filled with understanding of Luke's dilemma. It was a horrible feeling, the sign affects, but he too had overcome them and no longer felt anything._ 'Well, better you than me, I guess.' _Apparently Jade had lied to him too. It was settled—Raine was the equivalent of Natalia.

_'Thanks…I bet you're not happy to hear that I'm feeling better then.'_

_'Well anyways, get up and get back to the Inn before this blond girl has a meltdown.'_

'_Who?'_

'_That girl.'_

'_What girl?'_ Luke just could not picture the person he was talking about. _'Does she have a name of some sort?'_

_'The girl who's always with that guy that wears red.'_

'_What guy?'_ Luke was getting a little annoyed.

_'He's that guy…'_

_'You haven't even been trying to learn any names!' _Luke snapped.

_'I figured we'd be leaving before it even mattered, so of course I didn't really care about that, stupid! I thought it'd be an in and out thing with this—finding Natalia and leaving!'_

'_Because of you I was forced into fighting Lloyd and—'_

'_You weren't forced by me!'_ Asch argued back, not being too forceful seeing that his replica was obviously in a bad mood. _'You were forced by Guy!'_

'_That's not—'_ Luke thought about his statement for a moment. _'That…makes so much sense…'_

'_Well, just hurry back alright, you dreck? It's getting cold and you get lost in the dark as is. Come on before the search party sets out.'_ Asch declared, not trying to show any compassion but ended up doing it anyways.

_'Okay, Asch. I'll be righ—'_

The original waited a moment for his replica to finish his statement, but no answer came. _'Hey. Dreck. You still there?'_

_'Busy! Call back later!'_

_'What do you mean busy?! What's wrong?'_

_'It's those Angel things from before! They're surrounding that Kratos guy. We're gonna go help him!'_

_'Careful those things are strong! Where are you?'_

No answer came from Luke.

_'Hey!'_

Still nothing.

_'Dammit, why are you ignoring me?! I know you're there!'_

_'I…uh…sorta kinda think I'm seeing things…'_

* * *

**Temporarily Back-in-Action (Vincentre's Speech):** So I know I'm changing up the ending and middle and beginning a bit. Well…a lot. But it was only because I wasn't motivated.

So I decided to rule out that previous stuff I had written and just go with the flow…you know? Jade played a prank on Luke and Asch, telling them that if they cast a spell/used an arte, they would get sick. That's about it though. Transitions…


	7. Getting to know each other

**Ranting Author (The Real Update):** Yep. Been gone a while hasn't I? Well guess what? This update is really more than one chapter long.

I changed/revised chapters five and six, meaning that the storyline has changed. I didn't like the previous thing I had set up, so I changed it.

At this rate though, I might actually cover some of the Tales of Symphonia plot…though I am changing it too.

Sorry for the long wait! Please enjoy and let me know if this plot change is good enough to continue! Also, my grammar will probably be bad because I never type and/or write anything anymore. Bare with me…

"Entrusting his future to the cards, man clings to a dim hope."

* * *

-

_Getting to know each other_  
**Chapter VII **

-

-

It was them—the angelic creatures from The Facility back in their world—and they were inching flying towards one of the people whom they had met recently: Kratos, who was sitting peacefully in a bolder in one of the nearby pastures. Guy took off running with Luke not far behind him. He appeared not to notice as the creatures neared him.

_'Hey. Dreck. You still there?'_

_'Busy! Call back later!' _Luke was bounding towards the other man, trying his best to get there before the creatures.

"Hey! Look out! Hey!" He tried to get the man's attention.

_'What do you mean busy?! What's wrong?'_

_'It's those Angel things from before! They're surrounding that Kratos guy. We're gonna go help him!'_

Guy began yelling out too, obviously too far away to be heard by a normal person, but for some reason, Kratos' head snapped up and he took action; unsheathing his sword and slicing through three at once and cutting down the stragglers one-by-one. By the time he was done, pieces of the beasts were lined on the ground.

_'Careful those things are strong! Where are you?'_

Strong? In what way? The sight of Kratos' strength set both of them in awe. He was probably the strongest man alive.

A winged something caught their eye from the sky above. Was that…a person?!

"Oh. There you are." Kratos appeared slightly annoyed as he sheathed his sword, staring at the other blue-haired fellow as his feet touched the ground. The glowing wings disappeared and the man folded his arms.

On instinct, Guy grabbed Luke by the collar and flung him into the tall grass to the side before either of the men could see them. Guy rolled behind a large rock in the opposite direction, shielding him from their sight.

"You could stand to be a bit more considerate. Do you know what I had to go through to get here?" The indigo angel asserted.

_'Hey!'_ Asch's voice rung out in Luke's head once more, somewhat louder, but less distracting than what he was witnessing.

"What was that for?" Luke whined before Guy, who was a few feet away in hiding, shushed him.

Guy then pointed to the other two whom where talking just beyond, holding up a finger to signify that his friend should be silent.

"I take it you're here for a visit?" There was a hint of dry humor. "Are all the preparations complete concerning the final battle? We need to make sure nothing goes wrong. Undoubtedly, Mithos has set many traps for us."

_'Dammit, why are you ignoring me?! I know you're there!'_

"Of course everything is ready. Do you really need to ask?"

"It's only protocol. Nonetheless, what of the information on them?"

"Oh yes. The girl traveling with you; and her friends." The azure haired man paused for a short time, recalling nearly forgotten reports on the subject. "You were right about one thing—they aren't from Tethe'alla. No reports have shown admission through the gateways between Sylvarant and Tethe'alla. However, our intelligence did pick up traces of odd movement near from Lake Umacy, the same as when you found her."

"As I suspected… They showed no signs of knowing anything of either of the worlds. Judging by what you just told me, it's safe to conclude that there is a gate from their world to this world and it is located near Lake Umacy."

_'This guy is good…' _Luke remarked, finally in listening range after crawling around the grass to a closer location, ignoring Guy's frantic signals to fall back.

_'What the hell is going on!'_ Asch retorted.

_'Kratos. He's like…the Jade of our group, except a little slower on the uptake. For all we know, Jade could be some sort of higher being with all the stuff he knows but just chooses not to tell.' _He considered another thought._ 'Maybe Jade's more like Raine.'_

_'I can't argue with that. Look…Just come back before you're caught. What they're talking about doesn't have anything to do with us unless they act on it.'_ Asch hesitated for a moment and asked in a surprisingly interested tone,_ 'So who's Kratos?'_

_'I forgot who I was talking to! That's right! You don't know anybody!'_

_'Oh, Sh-Shut up! I don't care anymore! Just do what you want!' _Then Asch's presence left him.

Luke had slithered back to the spot where Guy had tossed him, taking note of the many hand signs his friend was throwing at him. He had no idea what they meant.

"That's it for my report," The blue angel said, suddenly drawing out his wings once again. "One more thing though…" His eyes shifted in the direction of the two eavesdroppers. "What will you do about _them_?"

"They're no threat. No need to worry at all." He nodded, dismissing the other.

"Very well. I'll be waiting for good results. The next time we meet, it may be in Derris Kharlan…" With that, he flew away, leaving a trail of shiny stuff that mesmerized Luke for a second.

"Hey!" Shouted Lloyd excitedly as he and Colette bounded down the slope of the hill behind Luke and Guy. "We've been looking for you guys! Kratos? You're here too?"

"This is bad. This is really bad," the blond swordsman complained, glancing at his companion. "What if they don't know about Kratos being allies with the angels? We'd better stop them."

"Don't go near him. He's in league with the angels."

"Wow! So that really was Yuan we just saw! But…what's so bad about the angels."

"Well, you're not an angel, right? So don't worry about it."

"Yeah I am! See!" Without warning, she called her wings, much to the dismay of Luke and Guy.

The two were speechless. She assumed it was at her wings' beauty, so she flew a few feet into the air, spinning around gracefully before landing on the ground softly.

Colette put her wings away. She was proud that she was an open person with everyone.

"Kratos can do it too!" Lloyd exclaimed eagerly. "Show them your wings."

"I'd rather not," the eldest answered, eyeing the two guardedly.

"I…I don't…I can't…What?" Luke finally got out, not able to make a complete sentence or sure how to place what was going on. "You mean you're all angels?"

"Not me," Lloyd answered honestly, flashing a smile.

Something about the answer made the other two relieved in some way.

"I'm only half angel," Lloyd finished.

An expression of utter horror flashed across the pair's faces as they backed away cautiously. Were there no humans in the world?

Guy reached for his sword, but grabbed nothing but air. His eyes flew to where his sword was supposed to be, wondering where his weapon had escaped. Then he remembered leaving it in the corner of his room after concluding that he would not need it that day.

Oh the irony.

"What kind of a swordsman _are_ you," Luke criticized, unsheathing his own weapon, just in case they all attacked.

"Whoa, whoa! What are you doing?" Lloyd asked warily, "Calm down." He moved cautiously to stand in front of his female friend; hands out to his sides to show he meant no harm, but keeping note of the swords at his side "What's wrong?"

"L-Lloyd…" Colette beckoned, wanting him to move away from the attentive duo.

They turned to look at Kratos, who had a heedful hand on the hilt of his sword. If they tried anything with Lloyd, he would have them down in an instant.

Luke surveyed his chances of getting out of the area alive. He would have to go back for the others before anything, but that would be tough if he had three pursuers. However, it was no problem for Guy to handle. His companion was fast enough to handle relaying the message and retreating to a safe place before any harm befell the others.

Unless…

"Don't be scared of us," the girl stated soothingly. "We're good angels—not the ones that attack people."

"Nothing personal but…I've never met one that didn't want to kill me…" Guy admitted.

"Huh?" She frowned, slightly upset. "But you know me and I don't want to kill you."

"True…but the thing is…"

While Guy was conversing and buying time, Luke saw that it was the perfect moment to call in for back up. Or else, who knew what would happen.

He would have to be subtle in calling upon his original.

_'AAAAASSSCH!'_

'_What now…?' _The soldier sounded utterly annoyed, possibly fighting the urge not to scream back and lose his composure.

'_It's three-on-one, excluding Guy because he doesn't have a sword!'_

'_That's great. Whatever. Go away.'_ Passive answers were getting on Luke's nerves.

'_What?! We're gonna DIE.'_

'_Uh-huh. Look. Talk to me later. I'm busy right now.'_

'_If I don't make it, tell Tear…she was always mean to me.'_ Guilt trips always worked.

_'Alright, alright. I'm coming already. Just give me a few minutes.'_

'_Please hurry! I don't know how long…'_ Luke felt like he was talking to himself. _'What are you doing that's so much more important than my life?! Were you asleep?! It's only been five minutes since we talked!'_

'_Well, Replica, it's complicated—now would you go already. I'll be there soon!'_

'_You don't even know where "there" is! You're not listening!'_

'_I am! It's just…oh…yeah…that's the spot…'_ Asch purred, nearly moaning in ecstasy.

'…_What?!'_

'_N-Nothi…'_ The God-General never finished his statement; giggles of a familiar feminine voice and incoherent comments that the girl made could be heard. Asch had let down his guard for a moment, allowing Luke to see what he was doing.

From Asch's perspective, Luke saw that his original was laying on a bed in the hotel was Natalia perched on top of him, missing a few layers of her clothing as she leaned down and kissed her way from his neck to the center of his bared chest.

It was easy to see that Asch was somewhat _stimulated_ by her gentle touch.

'_Let me get this straight,'_ Luke affirm, tone aggressive. _'You're going to get me and Guy killed for… You asshole!'_

'_This isn't what it looks like,'_ Asch swore earnestly.

_'What do you mean "this isn't what it looks like"?! It's exactly how it looks! I don't want your help anyways! I'll handle this myself!'_

He cut off the connection and ignored the nagging feeling when his other self tried to repeatedly reestablish the link.

But by the time he came back to reality after his argument with Asch, he was already behind in times.

Guy was sitting on a small rock in front of an inviting campfire, talking with the others on topics he didn't catch from the beginning.

"What the hell, Guy! You're conversing with the enemy!" Luke looked away theatrically. "Don't tell me you've become one."

"Oh! Hey, buddy. Come join in." Guy patted the rock next to him as he turned to face his friend, ignoring the previous comments. "I was just telling them about everyone. I figured you'd want to tell about yourself, but since you seemed like you were never coming out of that trance, I went ahead and introduced you too."

Luke continued to stare at his supposed fallen friend. Guy…the ever-understanding one. If he said it was okay, then perhaps it was.

"Quit being so dramatic. Come on. They're not going to hurt us."

Colette smiled happily at him, Lloyd was waving and smiling, Kratos didn't seem to care. He was sitting next to Colette, simply gazing into the fire uninterested. He probably would have left if not for the fact that he was leaving to of the less intelligent members of his group behind. They were so trusting.

"Luke. Come sit down," a commanding voice came from the other side of Guy. The woman didn't turn to look at him and instead, studied something in her lap with her back to him. "If you don't calm down, I'll have to ask you to leave," she finished.

"What a second. I know that threat! Tear!"

He was amazed at how he had completely not noticed her. Perhaps it was because her presences wasn't as commanding when she was tired.

"Uh…Yeah…Okay." He was suddenly willing to listen, strolling catiously over to Tear; of course eyeing the other three, and sitting down on the ground next to her, taking up the empty space between her and Kratos.

"There's a rock. Right here, mind you." Guy pointed at the rock beside him that he had displayed earlier.

"No, I'm fine."

"You're getting your _white_ coat dirty," Tear commented.

Luke groaned. "It'll be fine."

Guy shot Lloyd an apologetic look before continuing. "Well anyways, that's the gist of everyone."

"Everyone? You never told them about Anise, did…you…?" Tear trailed off, seeing the pained expression on Guy's face and concluded that Anise's name was still a taboo.

"No, I didn't say anything about her," the golden haired swordsman answered. "They don't know her, so I never brought up the topic."

"Well, that's fine."

The abyss trio quieted from then on, making the young swordsman and the girl next to him feel somewhat awkward, but that didn't last long.

Luke considered what Tear had said about his dirtying white overcoat. He slid out of it, and placed it over her shoulders for warmth, though it still drug the ground a little. If it was going to be sullied, at least it would be dirty with a good reason.

"Okay, my turn!" Colette shouted enthusiastically. "My name's Colette, as you all know, and I'm from Iselia! It's kinda far from here. Lloyd's from there too." She motioned at Lloyd. "We met Kratos there." She motioned at Kratos. "And so, the Professor, Genis, Lloyd, Kratos and I went on the Journey of Regeneration. And we met Zelos and Sheena and Regal and Presea along the way. But since there are bad people out there who didn't want us to succeed, we had to fight a lot—Desians, the Angels of Cruxius, people from our pasts, even Kratos at one point, but since he's good now, it doesn't matter what he did. You should always forgive people. Oh! And we're gonna go beat the really bad, bad guys in a few days on their home world and it'd be so great if you could help us out." Her way of thinking was starting to become clear to the others. "Um… I'm the Chosen of Sylvarant and Zelos is the Chosen of Tethe'alla…and…I think that's it."

"Okay…I know the people in the story…" Luke began, "but I didn't know what was going on… You wanna run that by me one more time?"

"What was so confusing about it?" Colette asked, appalled that her tale was not easy to understand.

Kratos sighed.

"Truthfully, you lost me at Journey of Regeneration," Guy declared.

"I was gone at Iselia," Luke replied. "That home world part sounded like a good twist though! Man! That would make a great storyline for a game or something!"

Colette shot him a disbelieve look before pouting to herself.

Lloyd smiled sheepishly and tried to console her. "I thought it was easy to understand…"

* * *

**This hath been your update (Vincentre's Short Returning Speech Corner!):** So yeah, there you go. That's the end of this update. I've ignored this story for far too long and I thought I should at least write something on it, since my buddy, who also has ignored his story for a long time, just decided to update recently.

I guess I'll follow suit then.

-Cameo Appearance Vincentre


End file.
